Mortal Kombat: Legacy
by SpinoGuy Productions
Summary: Six months ago, a mission to imprison the criminal mastermind, Shang Tsung, was a complete success. Now, he has escaped. It is up to Kenshi and Kurtis Stryker to stop him again. This is no longer just a tournament. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.
1. Prolouge

Decon City.

The official name is, although nobody cares, New York City. Nobody knows how the city became "Decon City," because it's been like that for years, but it is catchy, so people don't seem to mind the name change. In fact, in several maps, New York City has become Decon City. The city has gone through some dramatic changes in the past several months as well. The skies are no longer polluted, crime rates aren't sky rocketing, and people are actually smiling. Somewhat, anyway.

But that also means things for police slow down significantly. Detective Jackson Briggs has been sending his men on mundane tasks just to keep them entertained. Two such men were walking down a normal street, nothing wrong with it. They were both in the middle of a conversation, the tallest man was waving his arms around, while the shorter man was just walking ahead.

The taller man was about six-feet, two-inch tall, short blond hair, and a defined chin. He was wearing a cap that read "DCPD" on it, and he had a blue shirt with white details. His belt had almost everything a police needed, ranging from a gun, his handcuffs, and a Duncan Donuts coupon. He was wearing black pants, black boots, and he had two nightsticks strapped to his back. Black, fingerless gloves covered his hands, waving wildly in the air.

He said, "We haven't seen any action in six months! Why can't it be in the movies, where a bank robbery happens every day, or some little old lady needs to cross the street every hour? Seriously, the captain is only doing this to get us out of his hair. Or, lack of hair, anyway."

The shorter man was about five-feet, eleven inches tall, and he was a little over protected. Unlike his partner, who was dressed rather casually, he was decked out in SWAT body armor. He had a bullet proof vest on. How can you get more protected? Another defining feature was the sword strapped to the waist, swung around to his back as well. His hair was black, short, and well-kept. "DCPD" was scrawled across his chest, in bold, white letters. He wore red sunglasses over his eyes.

"Stryker," replied the shorter man, "I feel like you whine for the sake of whining. Just calm down, and do your job."

The blond man, Stryker, dropped his arms to the side. He grumbled under his breath, causing the shorter man to chuckle. Stryker said, "I really hate this city."

The shorter man rolled his eyes, focusing on walking instead of talking to his partner. "I mean it, Kenshi," said Stryker. "I'm going to leave this place once I get enough money. And once I find everything of mine in our apartment."

Kenshi let out a laugh, stating, "Not even Sherlock Holmes could find all the stuff in our apartment. I haven't seen my blind fold for three months. It's that bad. And it's not like a bright red piece of cloth can blend into the surroundings."

Stryker nodded in agreement. A lot of their stuff got lost in their little home. That fact was made blatantly clear by a visiting Johnny Cage. They had to jump _a lot_ of hoops to make Johnny's status alive. Thankfully the press hadn't heard about Johnny's "death," so it wasn't as hard as it could've been. He walked in, tripped on some stuff, and shouted, "You guys need to fucking clean up!"

That was about six months ago, and no progress had been made. That was just truly sad. Over the next few months, in fact, there had been a bigger mess. So, Stryker and Kenshi had dealt with the fact that their home would never be cleaned. They'd been used to it beforehand

Stryker spotted a hot dog vendor, and tapped Kenshi on the shoulder. He asked, "You hungry?"

Kenshi shrugged, and, taking that as a yes, Stryker walked over to the vendor. Stryker ordered one with every topping known to man, and Kenshi simply had a plain hot dog. The blond haired cop took a big bite, making some of the stuff fall onto his shirt. He swore under his breath, and asked the vendor, "Do you have a napkin, or something?" The vendor shook his head. "Great. Hey, Kenshi, can I borrow your blindfold?" Kenshi just tilted his head in Stryker's direction. "I'll take that as a no."

Stryker ended up just wiping it off with his hand. Kenshi took a bite, brushing off the few crumbs that fell to his chest. "Hey, Kenshi," asked Stryker, although it was barely audible behind all of the food, "why do you constantly wear all that protection? I can't see a purpose." Kenshi moved his head at Stryker, knowing that he was talking about all of the body armor.

Kenshi shrugged, and replied, "You never know when you need it."

Stryker's response was taking another bite.

Across the street, two men were just sitting on a bench. One was twirling a coin, while the other was simply looking ahead. The man twirling the coin flipped it, saying, "I am so fucking board."

"Good for you," replied the other man. He sank back onto the bench, sighing loudly. He perked up when he spotted a woman across the street. She was a petite woman, dressed in a long coat, red lips, and long red hair. The man elbowed the other, causing a yelp of surprise, and a clank of a coin hitting the floor.

"The hell is wrong with you?"

The man pointed to the woman, and said, "Fresh meat." The other man looked over, and, when he saw the woman, snickered. They both got up, grins plastered on their faces.

One of the men walked up to the woman, and said, "Nice day for a walk, huh?" The woman started to walk a different direction, turning left. The man, however, still followed. "It just makes one feel so warm. Do you mind if I feel if you're warm?"

The woman pulled out pepper spray, and blasted it directly in his eyes. The man screamed, clutching his eyes in pain. The other man covered her mouth, muffling her screams. They dragged her away, into a dark alley, with her kicking and screaming.

The man threw her on the ground, after duct taping her hands, feet, and mouth. The first man took out a switchblade, the light gleaming off of it. "I'm going to rock your world," spoke the man. He slowly started to walk towards her, but a noise behind them caught his attention.

His partner was gone.

"Yo, Bobby?" he yelled. "Where are ya Bobby?"

A voice said, "Bobby isn't going to be joining us." A sword was brought down on the man's hand, severing it at the wrist. The man screamed, alerting civilians around them. A fist slammed into his face, knocking him down. The blade was lowered to the man's throat, silencing the man's screams. Somewhat, anyway.

It was Kenshi who was standing over him. Stryker was holding the other man to the ground, giving him the Miranda Rights. The man who had the switchblade looked up at Kenshi, who said, "You have the right to remain silent."

The man gulped.

* * *

On top of a building overlooking the alleyway, two men were looking down. They both had many piercings in their face, a small horn protruding from their foreheads. The man on the right looked over to the other, nodding. They looked back down, seeing the four men and woman gone.

The right man said, "Well, that settles that argument."

The other said, "What argument? We've been following these guys for months now!"

The right man rolled his eyes, and said, "Not that argument, you idiot! The one about if the swordsman could fight barehanded."

The other shrugged, and stated, "It was just a sneak attack. I could beat him."

"_Riiight. _Anyway, we should probably tell Quan Chi we can begin the break out whenever we want."

The other man nodded in agreement, taking out a phone. He pressed a few buttons, and spoke into it. "It's time."

A deep voice on the other side said, "Understood."

One the other side of the line, a pale white man with red tattoos on the right side of his face hung up his phone. The room was more like a cave; stalagmites forming on the ceiling, a small river of magma crossed the room. This was a secretive area, known only to the Elder Gods and those poor souls that come here after death.

The Netherrealm.

A few minutes later, a man walked in. He was dressed in black body armor, burns all over, including over his right eye, which was blank white, no iris or pupils to be found, and a yellow over shirt and sash, tied with a yellow belt, all blackened by burns. His face was covered by a black mask, and a golden mouth piece covered the mouth, a mouth molded in with an expression of rage. He bowed down before the pale man, holding a fist to his chest.

Quan Chi swirled around in his chair; palms pressed together, and said, "Ah, Scorpion. What do you have to find for me?"

Scorpion pulled out an envelope. Quan Chi took it in his hands, looking over the signature. _Oniro. _Quan Chi placed his chin in his fist, deep in thought. The message could be that the Lin Kuei will work with them. Or it could be a declaration of war against the Brotherhood of Shadow and the Tarkata. Either wouldn't stop him, but the latter would slow them down significantly. Well, might as well find out now.

He took out an elegant letter opener, cutting the envelope carefully. He pulled the letter out, and read it over in silence. It read;

_Quan Chi._

_The Lin Kuei will work with the Brotherhood of Shadow and the Tarkata on one condition. You offer us sanctuary._

_Oniro._

Quan Chi rolled his brown eyes. The Lin Kuei had slowly decayed into simple thugs in the past six months since Shang Tsung was put in prison and Bi-Han died. Oh, how that was a happy day. But, as much as he would love to let Shang Tsung rot in that prison, he was needed. He crumpled up the letter, tossing it behind his shoulder. The piece of paper fell into the magma river, burning it to a crisp.

Quan Chi said, "Tell those vile Lin Kuei that I accept. Tell them there is an area in New York that will suffice for a meeting. I assume you know which I am talking about."

Scorpion nodded silently, vanishing in flames.

Quan chi leaned back in his chair, smiling to himself. Everything was coming together.

To be continued…

* * *

A/N:

Guess who's back? Back again?

Spino's back. Tell a friend.

Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, dah nah nah.

Glad I got that out of my system. Anyway, yes fanboys and fangirls, MK is back! Or, at least, my MK is back. Come back here every two weeks on the day of this posting, a chapter will be posted. I promise.

Also, I decided to put this up two days earlier. It was really bugging me.

Huge props to iceangelmkx and Poe's Daughter. Iceangelmkx has been giving me advice, and Poe's Daughter is the one who inspired me to do these. Thanks!

Anyways, since I know you guys have been missing this;

Spino, out.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Two days later.

"So, let me get this straight," stated Captain Jackson "Jax" Briggs. He was sitting in his office facing Kenshi, without sunglasses, and Stryker. Stryker was looking around the room, trying to avoid eye contact with Jax, while Kenshi just kept… well, he was blind, so he didn't have to avoid eye contact. Jax continued, "You cut off a man's hand." The comment was directed towards Kenshi more than Stryker.

The swordsman answered with, "He was about to rape a woman. What would I've done? Let him?"

"No," replied Jax. "But maybe you could've tackled him instead of just cutting his hand off. You realize of course we're going to have to pay for that. Literally. We have to pay for his medical bills." Stryker coughed.

Jax looked at him, staring Stryker down. "Sir," said Stryker, rather timidly, "I just want to go on record saying the whole 'cutting the guys hand off' thing? Not my idea."

"Shut up, Stryker," said both Kenshi and Jax at the same time. Kenshi, not moving his head the entire time, said, "Despite his utter lack of support here, Kurt is right. I should've tackled him instead. But the important fact is that I stopped a woman from getting raped. Shouldn't I get some thanks?"

"That woman gave you a kiss," stated Stryker. Kenshi turned his head towards Stryker's direction, something he did often to show his irritation. "What? I'm right."

Kenshi rolled his eyes, and turned his attention back to Jax. He said, "What now? Just because I cut his hand off—."

"They're going to let him walk. Both of them," confirmed Jax. Stryker's jaw dropped, and Kenshi's eyes widened. Jax pulled out a piece of paper. "Now," said Jax, "we didn't have enough time to make an actual report before the judge ruled they walk, but the reasons are as follows; The first man go his hand cut off." He looked up at Kenshi, who simply shrugged. "Fair point. Reason number two; The second man, the one you tackled Stryker, was treated unfairly, which is complete and total bullshit, don't worry. Finally, reason number three; They were only read half of the Miranda Rights. Now, I don't know about you, but that is also bullshit."

Stryker shook his head, while Kenshi said, "We handled them too roughly? I'll admit, cutting his hand off was a bit extreme, but all Stryker did was tackle the guy!"

"Pretty decent tackle, I might say," added Stryker. Kenshi nodded in agreement.

"Look," replied Jax, "I have no control over any of this. If it was up to me, these suckers would be in jail as we speak."

"Nice job not obeying stereotypes," murmured Stryker. He was, as usual, ignored.

"But that's just not the case. _And_ these idiots are threatening to press charges on _you."_ Jax handed Stryker the sheet of paper. The cop groaned, handing it to Kenshi.

The swordsman took a glove off, and felt the ink. "Hmm. Well, this is probably the worst think that could've possibly happened today." He handed the paper back to Jax. He asked, "Can we leave now?"

Jax waved them off angrily, prompting them to quickly leave. After they left, Stryker asked, "What're we going to do now?" Kenshi shrugged. "Well, I'm just going to go to Cage's."

"Sounds like a good idea," stated Kenshi.

* * *

Johnny Cage's penthouse,

"Baby, I'm sorry!"

Stryker walked in, shouting, "What's up, fucker?"

Johnny Cage and a woman were standing in the middle of the living room, having a shouting match. They didn't seem to hear Stryker. The policeman sighed, and asked, "Why am I being ignored today?"

"Because God hates you," jokingly stated Kenshi.

Both Johnny and the woman were basically nude, with the only article of clothing on either of them being bottoms, although Cage did have a pair of socks on. The woman shouted, "This is it, Cage! This is the absolute last time you're doing this to me!"

"She was my mom!" shouted Johnny. "I wouldn't have brought a woman over if I was seeing someone else! What kind of man do you take me for?'

The woman shouted, "It's not like I've heard that one before, Mr. Cage! And the man I take you for is someone who's not even bigger than a hot dog!" She practically hissed while whispering the last part, making it all the more poisonous. Kenshi and Stryker flinched at that last remark, Stryker having already pulled out his phone while recording the whole thing.

Johnny gasped at that, pleading, "No."

The woman nodded, grabbed a shirt, pants, quickly put them on, and stormed out. She didn't even notice shoving Kenshi and Stryker out of the way. The swordsman turned his head towards Johnny, and said, "She's a keeper."

Johnny groaned, planting his face in his palm, and asked, "How long have been there?"

Kenshi answered, "Since, 'Baby, I'm sorry!' It was highly entertaining." Kenshi walked over to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of beer.

"It never ceases to amaze me how the hell you can do that," stated Johnny. Kenshi tossed him a beer, followed by Stryker.

Stryker sat down on Johnny's couch, placing his feet on a coffee table, and letting out a relieved sigh. Stryker said, "Don't worry. I've been living with him for five years and he still amazes me. Nice undies by the way."

Johnny looked down to his white boxer with pink hearts all over them. Johnny pinched the bridge of his nose, and said, "Thanks."

"Oh, yeah, speaking of which, what the fuck was that all about?" asked Kenshi, sitting on chair across from Stryker.

"Eh, we were getting ready to do the naughty, and then I got a call from my mom, she heard a female voice, and she freaked the fuck out. Women. I'll never understand 'em," responded Johnny, taking a big chug of his beer. He wiped his mouth, placing the beer on a coaster.

Kenshi took another sip, and said, "How's the Cage been? Staring in any movies that aren't shit?"

Johnny sarcastically laughed, swiping the bottle out of Kenshi's hand. "If you must know, I am in the writing business now."

Stryker did a spit take, spraying it all over Kenshi. Kenshi, now wet, turned his head towards Stryker, slowly shaking his head. "Sorry," apologized Stryker. "But, you? A writer? That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Johnny took Stryker's bottle away as well. He took them over to the kitchen earning a whine from Stryker.

"First of all, you're police officers. You're not suppose to be drinking on the job. Can't believe I'm the sensible one right now," stated Johnny, although he mumbled the last bit. "Second of all, if the only reason you both came over here was to make fun of me, then you can get the hell out."

Stryker pursed his lips, feigning thinking it over. He raised his right index finger, opening his mouth, and bluntly said, "No. And we got off duty an hour ago. Now give me back my beer!" He feel over the couch, being the lightweight he was. Kenshi however, simply shrugged. He wasn't an alcoholic, although the same could be said for Stryker, he just wasn't as big of a fan. He would still drink with friends, but it was usually rare. He was just stressed today. So, he decided to take a drink tonight. "Come one! I wanna get hammered," slurred Stryker, already drunk. Again, lightweight.

Johnny looked at Stryker, rolling his eyes. He checked out Stryker's beer, seeing it only half full, chuckled. "Kurtis, I think you're hammered enough," replied Johnny. He chugged the rest of Stryker's beer, earning a squeal of protest. He dumped the empty bottle in the trash, making Stryker lay down. "Seriously, how the hell do you get drunk from half a bottle?"

Kenshi shrugged, tapping the now unconscious Stryker. "Hey, I'm just going to head back to my place. Is it okay if I leave him here?"

Johnny looked at Kenshi, then Stryker, then back to Kenshi and said...

* * *

"Fucking Cage," mumbled Kenshi.

He stumbled into his apartment with Stryker, causing quite a ruckus. He dumped Stryker on the couch, throwing his keys into a bowl on the counter, and walked into his room. He plopped down on his bed, spending three hours dragging Stryker from Johnny's apartment. He set the alarm to four o'clock, and let the blissfulness of sleep take him.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the police station

Sonya Blade walked into Jax's office with a cup of coffee in each hand. She place one on Jax's desk, smiling warmly at him. Jax nodded, taking a sip. He said, "I don't know anymore."

Sonya asked, "What don't you know?"

"All this black ninja nonsense I've been hearing about," spoke Jax. He crossed something out on the paper, then writing something else. Jax said, "It started-"

"I know when it started," interrupted Sonya.

Jax looked at Sonya, and said, "Interrupting a superior officer. Not very professional, if you ask me."

Sonya drank her coffee, and said, "Sue me." She picked up one of the papers. She asked, "Why do you still have Hasashi's documents here? We haven't seen him-"

"I know how long we haven't seen him," interrupted Jax. Sonya raised an eyebrow, causing Jax to laugh. "Payback. Anyway, it's because he disappeared that I'm worried about. He wouldn't just up and leave. Hell, Kenshi doesn't even know where he went."

Sonya mumbled, "Mhmm." She picked up another document. "Who's Blaze?"

Jax looked up from his work, and took the paper. He looked it over. "Guess he's an arsonist. Real name is currently unknown. Killed twenty-one men, thirteen women, and five children in an hour. All with a flamethrower. Sick bastard. Locked up in solitary from the looks of it. Well, at least he's locked up."

Sonya place the paper down, a look of disgust on her face. She said, "Thankfully. Anyway, maybe you should call it a night."

"In an hour. I still have some paper work," replied Jax. Sonya bumped fist with Jax, and left him alone with his thoughts.

Jax asked to himself, "Who the hell are the 'Lin Kuei?'"

* * *

In the streets of a small Asian town,

A well-built, long, silver haired man pulled the hood lower over his face. He looked around, caution dictating his every movement tonight. The storm clouds had rolled in, rain pouring down, everything the weather had, they threw at him. He crawled up a pipe, scaling the small building. He perched himself on the building, sighing. The rain has been coming down for a few days now, and although good for the town, it was bad for him. The weather prevented him from leaving this town, so he had to hide.

This was because this was the new base of operations for the Lin Kuei. The man had a few close calls in the past few days, but he remained undetected. For now. He took out a small piece of bread, something he had to steal, and took a few nibbles out of it. It wasn't like this for the first few months after the death of Bi-Han. He'd been living peacefully in America. But, he had information that might lead to the happiest moment in his life. But, for now, he had to sneak around, avoiding possible spies.

There was one person he went to, however, that could hide him.

* * *

"Thomas, you must come inside."

The white haired man, Thomas, walked into the modest home. The woman was an elderly one, yet still maintained her brown hair. Thomas, shivering from the cold, sat by a fire. The woman asked, "Why were you out so late? I was worried."

"I'm sorry, Mia," stated Thomas. "I just had to make sure they weren't following me. I can't risk your safety." He picked up a cup of hot tea laid out by Mia, taking a long sip. He place it down on the small table, still shivering, although less severely.

Mia sat across from him, a sympathetic look on her face. "What is troubling you, son?"

Thomas grinned, and said, "Nothing is troubling me. In fact, I've found some great information."

Mia took on a puzzling look now. "What do you mean, Thomas?"

He took out a small, black flash-drive. "I know it now," stated Thomas.

"Kuai Liang is alive."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the States,

Shang Tsung sat in a prison cell, all alone to his thoughts. He had been here for six months, and yet nothing had changed. The court ordered for him to be in life in prison, since he had never actually killed anyone, to their knowledge. Everything was going as planned.

He leaned back on the wall, and smiled. Oh, this would be his greatest victory yet.


	3. Chapter 2

Two men in white lab coats were in a damp, dark room. "I don't like it," stated one of the men, who had purple gloves on.

The other, who was working on something mechanical on the table top, asked, "What don't you like?" without looking up from his work. A few sparks flew from the machine, forcing the man to jump back. He placed the tweezers on the table, picking up a miniature blow-torch. He went back to work.

"I don't like the fact that we have to work in this unsanitized room. Look at this." He banged the wall lightly with a wrench, causing bugs to fall from the ceiling. One fell on his shoulder, which he promptly brushed it off.

The second man looked at him with a displeased expression. He brushed a bug off of a piece of metal, going back to work on it. The first man rolled his eyes, walking over to a counter, and picked up a oily cog. He tossed it over to the other man, who responded, "Don't throw the sensitive materials! The Lin Kuei aren't giving us a lot of money to just spend willy-nilly on this crap. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to continue _our_ work."

The doors flew open with a loud bang, revealing two Lin Kuei guards an old man in traditional Chinese robes. His arms were folded behind his back, his face formed in a permanent frown. He walked with an air of confidence, commanding nothing short of full obedience from anyone in the room. Everything about him, from the posture, the face, the walk, it screamed power. The two men back peddled quickly, giving him room to walk. The old man looked down at the mechanical framework, observing it with an experts eye. He looked back, and said, "How much longer will it take?"

The second man walked up, and said, "It should only take a few more weeks. The most that needs to be done is minor internal work, but much of the time will be hardwiring the neural processor." He walked over to the other side of the table, wiping some blood off, rubbing it between his fingers.

"Very good, doctor. I trust there will be no further problems, will there?"

The second doctor rubbed his neck, and replied, "No, sir. No further problems."

The old man smiled, showing off his yellow teeth. He walked back out with his two guards, who said nothing during the exchange. The two men looked at each other, opting to go back to work without another word. Amid the sparks, a blue, robotic fist clenched.

* * *

Kenshi and Stryker's apartment,

Kurtis Stryker hated snoring.

It was one of his biggest pet peeves. That and Bruno Mars. He was just a horrible singer. Back to the subject at hand, one of the things Stryker couldn't stand about his roommate was his snoring. There wasn't many things Stryker hated about Kenshi, but that was definitely one of them. Stryker bolted up from the couch, a trail of drool hanging from his mouth. He looked at the clock, and groaned. 5:00 AM. Wasn't it his day off? Couldn't he just sleep until noon like a normal person with a day off? Oh, well. Time to annoy Kenshi.

He picked up his pillow, and walked to his roommates room.

Kenshi was sleeping like a baby. He was having the most amazing dream of his life. He was on a boat, out at sea, with a beautiful woman tending to his every command. Sure, he had honor, but he was still a man with hormones. He was aloud those dreams every once in a while. Kenshi smiled in his sleep, kissing his pillow lightly.

"So, you like pillows now?"

Kenshi's eyes snapped open, although all that did was take him out of his dream. He asked, "What are you doing, Stryker?"

Stryker smacked him with his pillow, and said, "_That _was for waking me up before noon on my first day off in over a month." He tossed the pillow out of the room. "So, what are we going to do today?"

"Want to go annoy Cage?" suggested Kenshi.

"Nah," replied Stryker. "He's got his monthly thing with Jax, so he'll be hitting on Alex all day."

Kenshi nodded in agreement. "Well, if you let me get dressed, we can go to a bar."

"At five A.M?"

Kenshi turned his head towards Stryker, who was fully dressed in his clothes from yesterday, and said, "Get. Out."

Stryker back out of his room, closing the door quietly.

* * *

Police station,

Johnny Cage strutted, yes, strutted into the station. He had his hair slicked back, a bouquet of roses in one hand, and a hand tailored suit on. Also, of course, he had his trademark shades. He was dead set on winning the heart of a girl. Or a date, he didn't care. Either way, he would get the girl, like always. After he saluted every officer he saw, much to their displeasure, he finally got to the secretary. Alex Walker. She had brow hair, light blue eyes, and a stunning complexion. Thank you, God. She was typing on a computer, filing notes, sending messages to other police men, among other things. Johnny walked up to Alex, and said, "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

"What do you want, Cage?" asked Alex, not even bothering to look up at Johnny. The actor, however, would not be deterred.

"Well," answered Johnny, observing his nails, "I was wondering if you finally wanted to go on that date we talked about?" He looked back at Alex. "If your interested."

Alex, still typing, said, "For the literal thousandth time, Cage, no."

Johnny, still grinning, said, "A-HA! You only said no that time. You didn't say, 'Go fuck yourself, Cage.' I'm growing on you."

The door behind Alex opened, revealing Jax. He said, "Mr. Cage. Your late."

"Only by about an hour this time. Progress!" He looked at Alex, firing at her with a gun made from his fingers. "Later, babe. I gotta go talk to the big guy."

"I don't care," was Alex's only reply.

Johnny either didn't hear that last remark, or he tuned it out, which wouldn't be surprising considering his constant grin. Jax and Johnny walked into the office, Jax sitting down behind his desk, while Johnny sat down on a chair.

Jax said, "Alright, time for your evaluation. Have any of the press found out about what your 'mysterious disappearance' was about?:

Johnny, staring at the ceiling, said, "Not as far as I know. Although I don't pay attention to press much."

Dropping his pen on the desk, Jax rubbed his head in frustration. "God damnit, Cage. We talked about this last time!"

"Yeah, well, you expected me to remember this crap!" retorted Johnny. He propped his feet on the desk, only for them to be pushed off by Jax.

"You have got to be the most annoying person I've ever had the displeasure to talk to, Mr. Cage," stated Jax, matter of factly.

Johnny, looking back up to the ceiling again, said, "I get that a lot."

"And I'm not surprised." Jax picked up his pen, and wrote something down. He then asked, without looking up, "So, are you feeling any odd things, lately?"

Johnny looked back at Jax, and said, "Define odd."

"Have you not been feeling yourself at all?"

"Oh! No, I'm fine. I've had a fuck-ton of hangovers though, so there is that." Johnny looked at the clock, not taking his eyes off of it. His hands had found their way to the tie Johnny was wearing, attempting to untie it. He said, "So, how many more questions do we have to go through? I kinda have a thing to do."

"A few more, then you can get out of my hair," Jax replied. Johnny covered his mouth, not wanting to say anything. Jax looked up at a snickering Johnny, and asked, "What is so damn funny?"

"It's just that," replied Johnny, in between giggles, "you don't have any hair."

Jax rolled his eyes, and picked up the folder, thinking to himself that this was going to be a long day.

* * *

Kenshi and Stryker were sitting in line. Stryker said, "Damn, I knew this movie was hyped, but this is ridiculous!" The were currently waiting in line for Johnny's new movie, Ninja Mime, which was panned by critics, but they decided to go anyway. It might kill a few hours. Stryker, in a simple blue shirt and jeans, said, "Seriously, I didn't even know a critically panned movie could get this long of a line! How is that possible?"

Kenshi, dressed in red sunglasses, a black shirt, red belt, and black running pants, replied, "I don't even know why I'm here. It's not like I could see the movie anyway."

"Well, you could hear how crappy it is," replied Stryker. Kenshi lightly nodded in agreement, leaning back on a wall. Stryker looked over at the entrance, which had a man either letting someone in or sending them away. Stryker looked over to the entrance, tapping his foot impatiently. He said, "When are we getting in?"

"I have telekinesis, Stryker, not physic powers," deadpanned Kenshi, which left an unamused Stryker. Kenshi said, "I'm sure he's just going over the 'correct procedures,' or something like that." Kenshi popped off the wall, stretching his body. Stryker, however, just stood there with his arms crossed. "The way I see it-"

"If you could see."

"Yes, anyway, the way I see it, if this movie sucks, we can just get our money back from Johnny. I'm pretty sure he can spare, what, five dollars?"

"Try ten," corrected Stryker. "Apparently it's in THHREEE DEEEEE!" He made an exaggerated arm jester to solidify his point. Kenshi rolled his eyes under his sunglasses.

* * *

On top of a tall building looking down on them, a figure looked down upon them. Although most of him was obscured by darkness, two white eyes seemed to pierce the darkness. The eyes narrowed.

Satisfied at what he had seen, the figure disappeared in a burst of flames.

* * *

"Please? It's just one date!"

Johnny was on his knees, both hand balled up, pleading to Alex. The female officer rolled her eyes for about the fifth time that day, all at Johnny, and said, "Knowing you the way I do, Cage, a date could range from a simple walk in the park to bungee jumping into a volcano."

"Yeah, how ridiculous," Johnny said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, grin plastered on his face. With that same grin, although much stronger, somehow, he said, "Look, all I want to do is go on a simple dinner date. Does that sound so bad?"

Alex looked at him for the first time that day, how she avoided eye contact before is a mystery, with a deadpan face. "Yes, it does."

Johnny grabbed his chest in a faux hurt manner, saying, "Oh, my soul. It's being sucked out of me!" He fell on the floor, withering in faux pain. Alex, however, didn't even flinch. Johnny bolted up, and said, "You are cold, you know that?"

Alex turned back to her computer, beginning to type again. Johnny huffed in frustration. "You know," stated Johnny, propping himself up on her desk, "you are probably the first woman I know that has said no for six months straight. How do ya do it?"

"High idiot tolerance."

"Oh. Well, that makes sense, I guess," stated Johnny. He scratched his head, and said, "How am I gonna get you to say, 'Yes?'"

Alex shrugged, spinning around to place a document away. Johnny threw up his hands in defeat, and said, "I'm done for today. I'll be back tomorrow."

"You don't have another appointment for a month," stated Alex.

"I know," was Johnny's only reply before walking out.

* * *

Shang Tsung's cell,

The old man was leaning against the wall, smiling to himself. He had just asked one of the few police officers still loyal to him a favor. That favor was, hopefully, carried out to the fullest, ready to be in Shang Tsung's hand. Or, in his cell. The door swung open, an angry female officer standing over him. The woman was about five feet, six inches tall, red hair tied into a pony tail, and full police gear.

She grabbed Shang Tsung by the arm, hoisting him up, an said, "You're going to interrogation."

Shang Tsung, in a faux confused looked, asked, "Whatever for?"

"Someone wants to speak with you," answered the officer sternly.

"Oh, of course."

* * *

The station, ten minutes earlier,

"So, what did the chief want, exactly?" asked Stryker. They were currently returning from their movie, finished, and paned by the both of them, on a call from the chief. Kenshi, still wearing his street clothes, although with Sento strapped onto his back now, shrugged.

"I dunno, something about wanting us to speak to someone," replied Kenshi. His sunglasses were hanging from his shirt, feeling every officer already knew he was blind, so he didn't care if they saw his eyes. After a walk, they got to Alex's desk, currently cleaning up after Johnny's little encounter. "Hey, Alex."

Alex looked up, actually smiling, "Oh, hey Kenshi. How's it going, Kurtis?"

"Can't complain. Although, I just did a whole lot of that when we saw Ninja Mime," replied Stryker.

"Might I suggest going to Cage for a refund?" offered Alex. That earned a slight chuckle from all three of them. "Wait a minute. How could you tell it was bad?" She was referring to Kenshi.

Kenshi answered with, "Well, I can hear extraordinarily well, if that helps at all. I could hear all of the corny acting, all of the lame effects, and all of the stupid romances."

Alex flinched. "That bad, huh?"

"You have no idea," replied Stryker. "So, what did Jax want us for on our day off, anyway?"

Not missing a beat, Alex said, "Well, he wants you to talk to Shang Tsung. Something about his once a month PMS deal, or something like that."

Kenshi stiffened, noticed only by Stryker. Although Alex was Kenshi's friend, he hadn't told her everything. Like how he became blind, how he obtained his sword, or why he always carried it around him. Stryker patted Kenshi's shoulder, trying to comfort him. Alex, confused by the gesture, asked, "What? Was it something I said?"

Clearly wanting to avoid the subject, Kenshi stated, "It's nothing. I'll... I'll tell you some other time."

Alex looked to Kenshi with a concerned look. Kenshi had generally avoided any and all press relating his capture of the kingpin of crime in Decon. It was a touchy subject for him, although she just generally assumed that he didn't like that sort of attention. Now, however, she was having other ideas on the subject. "Okay," was Alex's simple reply.

Stryker said, "Yeah. Anyways, Alex, go tell Jax we're ready. Oh, and Kenshi?"

"Hmm?"

"Leave the sword."

"...Fine."

* * *

The interrogation room,

Shang Tsung was pushed into the room by the officer. Although he wasn't alone. Except it wasn't the company he was expecting. Sonya Blade sat opposite to Shang Tsung's spot. He was forcibly pushed down into the chair, prompting him to lightly struggle. After the officer left the room, he looked over to Sonya, and asked, "And to what do I owe this pleasure, Miss Blade?"

"Cut the crap, Shang Tsung, I know you were expecting someone else," curtly replied Sonya. She leaned onto the table, and said, "We want to know everything you know about this man." She slid a piece of paper over to him.

He stopped it with his index and middle finger observing it carefully. It showed a powerfully built man, a short head of brown hair, hammer strapped to his waist, a white muscle shirt, and black jeans. Shang Tsung narrowed his eyes with hate, and said, "I have no idea who this man is."

Sonya chuckled. "Right. It's not like you have been working with him for several years now. We both know who this is."

Shang Tsung shook his head, not budging an inch. "Maybe if you let me see the two who were supposed to come here, then I'll talk, but until then..." He let the sentence trail off, letting Sonya fill in the blanks herself.

Her eyes narrowed in hate, scanning the criminal carefully. She stood up from her spot, and walked out. Shang Tsung's eyebrows raised in success, knowing he just achieved what he wanted. Several minutes later, two men walked in. Kenshi and Stryker. Shang Tsung never took his eyes off of the swordsman. If Kenshi weren't blind, he'd probably do the same. Stryker sat down, while Kenshi leaned against a wall. Shang Tsung leaned back in his chair farther. "So, I've finally got your attention it seems." He looked from Kenshi to Stryker. "So, I guess you're wondering why I wanted you to come here."

"That's putting it mildly," stated Stryker, hands folded together on the table, glaring holes into Shang Tsung's head. Kenshi didn't say a word, merely leaning against the wall in silence.

Shang Tsung pulled the paper closer to his, observing the man in it. "You know," pondered Shang Tsung, "I never realized how good you look in normal everyday clothes, Kenshi."

Kenshi's eyes narrowed, but Stryker said, "Cut to the chase. We both know _you _know this is Shao Kahn. So, will you just spill what you have on him?"

Shang Tsung stroked his beard, genuinely considering the question. "How about I tell you this? Shao Kahn _will_ kill the both of you. It's not just because you took down his right hand man, but you also stopped business for a long time. Wanna know how I know this?" He leaned as much as he could across the table. "Because it's what I would've done. And I know Mr. Kahn is a_ very_ smart man. So, unless I have a death warrant, or something."

Stryker rolled his eyes. He looked at Kenshi, who's face expression showed only pure, unadulterated rage. Stryker looked back to Shang Tsung, and said, "Look. You've been here for over six months. I'm surprised you're not dead yet, even more surprised you haven't been bailed out yet, so just tell us where Shao Kahn is. You probably don't have much of a choice."

Shang Tsung leaned back in his chair. "How about we talk about your little guard dog's stare," commented Shang Tsung, pointing towards Kenshi's expression, "and how it's making me nervous."

Kenshi pushed himself off of the wall, and, somehow, managed to ease his expression. Not much, but still. Stryker, who looked back at Kenshi, said, "Alright." He looked at Shang Tsung. "We got a deal."

Shang Tsung clapped once, and exclaimed, "Excellent! Now, where do we begin?"

"Let's just start from the beginning," stated Stryker.

"Of course," shot back Shang Tsung. "So, Shao Kahn is held up in the bad part of town. That's right. Harlem. No, no, I kid. Currently I suspect he's in one of his bunkers, on the run. He realizes how bad you folks must want him."

"He's only the most wanted man in the country," said Kenshi, finally speaking, although in a strained voice.

Shang Tsung chuckled. "Why, thank you, Kenshi. I didn't know that before now." He looked up at the ceiling, continuing to speak. "I can tell you a few of the locations. But your on your own after that. He never told me all of them."

Stryker whispered to Kenshi, "Grab a piece of paper and a pen."

Kenshi nodded, hurrying out of the room. Shang Tsung spoke up. "Wise decision, letting him be the one to obtain it." Stryker turned to face Shang Tsung. "If he were left alone with me, who knows what that psycho would've done."

Stryker retorted with, "Maybe if you didn't blind him, he wouldn't be so hostile."

Shang Tsung threw his head back, laughing as loud as his lungs aloud him. "You don't know what he as like before I blinded him, do you?"

"He said he was less humble," answered Stryker.

"That's an understatement." Shang Tsung continued his tale. "Kenshi was arguably the best swordsman in Japan at the time. But he was arrogant. The fight I saw him in, he rushed into it without a second thought. He suffered several cracked ribs, a split lip, and two broken fingers that day. Better than I can say for the other guys, but still. For the so-called 'best-swordsman-in-the-world,' that was pathetic."

Stryker just listened intently, taking everything Shang Tsung had said... and proceeded to throw it all out the window. "So? He's changed. I'm sure if he could hold back on killing you, that's what redemption means."

"Officer Stryker," commented Shang Tsung, "you are one tough nut to crack."

Kenshi walked into the room, closing the door gently behind him. He handed the pen and paper over to Stryker, who said, "Alright, Tsung. Where are those bunkers?"

* * *

"This is all he gave you?"

Kenshi nodding, confirming Jax's question. Jax looked down at the four location, commenting, "Well, at least it's a start."

Sonya, standing to the right of Stryker and Kenshi, said, "Do you want me to recruit a task force and hunt him down?"

"Yeah. I want those bunkers searched two days ago," ordered Jax.

Sonya saluted, walking out briskly. Kenshi and Stryker, however, just stood there. Jax said, "You two, on the other hand, can enjoy the rest of your day off. Go annoy Cage for all I care."

Stryker nodded lazily, murmuring, "Yes, sir." They both exited as quickly as they came in.

Alex, looking at the door biting a pen, she was hungry, perked up when she saw Kenshi and Stryker was out. "So," stated Alex, "how was the meeting."

Kenshi ignored her, continuing to walk instead. Stryker, noticing Alex's confused expression, commented, "It's not you, alright. It's Shang Tsung. The old bastard's got him jumpy."

"What for?" asked Alex.

Stryker scratched the back of his neck. "I think it's best if you hear it from Kenshi. It's not my place to tell you." He looked at the direction Kenshi stormed off in. He turned to Alex sheepishly, still scratching his neck. "Hey, uh, I was wondering if you and I could, maybe, I dunno... get a bite to eat?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me out?"

Stryker waved his arms in defense. "Nononono. It's not a date, it's just, you know, two friends having dinner together."

"That sounds like a date. Pick me up as eight tomorrow."

Stryker's arms dropped. "Seriously? Johnny's been trying for months, and the first time I ask you, you say yes?"

"Well," commented Alex, "Johnny's only looking for a one night stand. You have more respect than that, right?"

"Oh, of course," he replied genuinely. "See you tomorrow."

He walked out of the station with a spring in his step.

* * *

Johnny Cage's penthouse,

It's been a few hours since Johnny had left the police station in a vain attempt to get a date out of Alex, but he'd already gotten over it. The first few times made that happen to a man. He was currently laying upside down on his couch, legs in the air, playing video games. He heard a knock at the door, but he didn't get a chance to open it. His guest just walked right in.

"What's up, fucker!"

Ah. Stryker. Kenshi must be with him then. Johnny rolled off of the couch, landing on his feet perfectly, and asked, "What do you two assholes want?"

"Well, we got the day off, and we want our money back," replied Kenshi. Johnny raised an eyebrow. "For that atrocity you call a movie."

"Movie? Oh, you saw Ninja Mime! Amazing, right?" Johnny looked from Kenshi to Stryker, and back again. They were both shaking their head slowly. "Oh," he stated, mood finally deflated, yet grin still on his face. "Well, we can't always win, am I right?"

"You haven't won since Power Rangers went off the air," said Stryker, earning a laugh from Kenshi.

Johnny looked at Kenshi, and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"Just the fact that you were in Power Rangers."

"Have you ever seen it?"

"No, but I've heard enough about it to know it was a joke," replied Kenshi.

"Oh, haha, very funny. Now, what do you two want?"

"A place to crash," answered Stryker.

"Well, I'm going home, actually. I need to find my blindfold," commented Kenshi.

"How the fuck are you going to find a blindfold in that pig sty you call an apartment?" asked Johnny.

"I have my ways. Later, guys."

"See ya," said the two men at the same time.

* * *

Kenshi left the apartment, hood pulled over his head, red sunglasses in place, and sword strapped to his back. There was a long walk ahead of him, but he's taken the route enough to know what turns to take, and when. The Sento sure helped. After five minutes of walking, he made a left turn, but found himself in an alley. He discovered this before he hit a fence, thankfully. "Great," he huffed to himself.

He whipped out his phone, dialed a few numbers, but something caught his attention. It was a sort of whirring sound. He duck before a spear tip embedded itself into Kenshi's skull, instead hitting the fence behind him. He slowly got up, hood blown off, and reached for something. Rope. And it was tied to the spear tip. It was abruptly yanked back towards whoever threw the spear, but Kenshi had already gathered who threw it by then.

He didn't want to believe it, but he could feel the attacker's energy. It was familiar to him, and he figured it out almost instantly. Kenshi stepped back, hearing familiar footsteps. He whispered on single word, yet his word became a question.

"Hanzo?"

* * *

In Asia,

Smoke jumped from tree branch to tree branch, making greater headway than he expected. He stopped when he heard a twig snapped. He whirled around, only to see a squirrel following him. His expression lightened, and he patted it on the head lightly. The squirrel quickly hopped away, leaving Smoke all by himself. He continued on his way towards a place he never wanted to go again.

The Lin Kuei temple.

He had escaped it several years ago, now coming back. He hated the place. But he must know. He must find out if Kuai Liang was alive. It was the only thing keeping him sane at this point in time. He swung on a strong branch, leaping onto another. He perched atop one like a gargoyle, observing everything about his area. He saw a guard pass by, going over his foot prints. Smoke jumped down behind the guard once he got far enough, breaking his neck before he could make a sound. He let him fall, and dragged him off to somewhere he could hide the body.

After effectively hiding it, he continued climbing the trees, jumping to get to his location.

**_To be__ continued..._**

* * *

A/N: I know, leaving you on a cliffhanger like that is a dick move. Well, luckily for me, I am a dick. So, as you might've figured out by now, Smoke isn't really a main character anymore. His story is more of a subplot, eventually, no idea when as of this writing, merging with the main story.

And yes, I haven't featured Kenshi with his trademark blindfold. Oh well. He isn't in battle this entire fic, he's just living his life, plus I made his apartment a mess. Yes. I can do that. It's my universe, bitch! And, like last time, the first fight will be the third chapter. Technically.

You might be wondering who Alex Walker is. Well, I have gone back on my promise to **_NEVER_** use an OC in my fics. So, since I didn't want to make my own up, I borrowed one. Alex belongs to iceangelmkx, basically the gal I turned to for advice about this story. Like last time, check her out.

Spino, out.


	4. Chapter 3

Kenshi stood there in disbelief. It had been six months since he heard anything form Hanzo, and now he was standing in front of him. Kenshi asked again, "Hanzo, is that you?" Hanzo just stood there, silent. Kenshi stepped towards Hanzo, asking, "Where have you been? We-"

He was cut off as Hanzo rushed him. Kenshi sensed this, and ducked in time. Hanzo, or his alter ego now, Scorpion, spun around quickly, backhanding Kenshi. The swordsman glasses flew off of his face, shattering on the ground, revealing his almost white eyes. There was still a blue tint into them, showing his eyes were once blue before his blinding. Kenshi was spun around once, and then punched in the chest. He held the spot in pain, while Scorpion brought his knee to Kenshi's face. Kenshi was thrown back from the blow, landing against the wall. Scorpion teleported beside Kenshi, punching him in the gut twice before roundhouse kicking him further into the wall. Kenshi coughed up blood.

Scorpion grabbed a tuff of Kenshi's hair slamming his head into Kenshi's. The swordsman's head was slammed back into the wall, while Scorpion backed up. He got into a fighting stance for a quick moment before charging Kenshi. Fortunately, Kenshi was able to get unstuck from the wall, jumping off and tackling Scorpion. After they both fell to the ground, Kenshi quickly rolled off, standing back up, wiping the blood from his mouth. Scorpion did a kip up, his back to Kenshi. The swordsman said, "What are you doing, Hanzo? Don't you remember me?"

Scorpion quickly spun around again, sending his _kunai_ towards Kenshi. He dodged it yet again, letting it embed into the wall behind him. Kenshi kept his head towards his opponent in front of him. Scorpion once again disappeared once again, causing Kenshi's senses to go on high alert. He began walking around, hand going towards his sword still in it's scabbard.

An increase in heat alerted him to Scorpion's reappearance behind him, and he sent the Sento blade towards the increase of heat, but it was blocked by Scorpion's own blade. It was different form his former katana, now it had several point along the blade, as well as a stinger like bulb at the end of the hilt. Sparks flew in several directions at the initial impact, not fazing either man. The just tried to overpower the other. Kenshi gritted his teeth, pushing forward, while Scorpion had his eyes narrowed, not making a sound.

Kenshi, in a rather dirtier trick, kicked Scorpion's feet out from under him. Scorpion's eyes widened as he fell to the ground. Kenshi kicked the fallen sword away, placing his back in it's scabbard. Scorpion, on the ground, looked up at Kenshi. The swordsman, while not attacking, was in a fighting stance. Scorpion kipped up again, with Kenshi stepping back to avoid getting kicked. For a single moment they stood there. Once was sweating, blood trickling down his mouth, and a black eye forming. The other was standing rigid, not doing anything. Scorpion held his hand out, as if waiting for something to appear in hand. His sword that Kenshi kicked away disappeared in flames, reappearing in his hand. Kenshi sensed this, pulling his sword out again. The then rushed towards each other, blades meeting in sparks. There was no power struggle, they just ran, swinging their swords at each other.

Kenshi swung left, right, down, up, and diagonally from the top right to the lower left. Scoprion blocked them all, countering with his own attack. He slashed left and right, then stabbed towards Kenshi. Kenshi blocked the slashes, and backing up before the stab could rip his intestines apart. Kenshi and Scorpion rushed each other again, blades clashing. Kenshi swung around, bringing his blade with him. He was able to cut Scorpion across the back, leaving a deep cut. However, blood did not ooze out, but instead lava. Scorpion turned around, knocking the Sento out of Kenshi's hand. The swordsman telekinetically pushed Scorpion back, lunging for his sword. Scorpion was only deterred for a moment before throwing his sword towards Kenshi. Kenshi sensed the flying sword, barely able to disturb it's path with his telekinesis before grabbing his sword. Scorpion stepped towards Kenshi, arms to his side, ready to fight once again.

Kenshi held his sword to his side, ready to battle as well. Scorpion narrowed his eyes. Kenshi took in a deep inhale, and exhaled. They both charged at each other. Kenshi swung down on Scorpion, who dodged it. Scorpion punched Kenshi across the face, loosening a few teeth. Kenshi slammed the hilt of his sword onto Scorpion skull, fracturing it. Scorpion staggered back, holding his head in pain. Yet he didn't fall. Kenshi raised an eyebrow, but soon went back to attacking Scorpion. Scorpion took out his _kunai, _blocking the swings of Kenshi's sword. The two combatants went like this for a few minutes, Kenshi looking like he had the upper hand. But Scorpion had a different idea. After a brief, about four seconds, power struggle, Scorpion kicked Kenshi in the gut, sending him back. The Shirai Ryu assassin took this opportunity to disappear in flames.

Kenshi stood ready for when Scorpion returned. Except he never did. A few minutes passed, and Kenshi was still alone. Kenshi place his sword back in his scabbard cautiously, still unsure if Scorpion was truly gone. He picked up his phone he had dropped, thankfully still operating, and pressed a few buttons. Once the person on the other line picked up, he said, "I need you to pick me up."

* * *

Unknown location,

Scorpion appeared in a burst of flames, kneeling down. He looked up at Quan Chi, who was standing over him. Scorpion shook his head, the only confirmation Quan Chi needed that he had failed. "Shang Tsung will not be pleased," noted Quan Chi. He stroke his chin, thinking to himself. "On the other hand, he might be pleased you didn't kill him." Quan Chi motioned for Scorpion to stand, which he did, and walked over to his desk.

He sat down in his chair while Scorpion stood next to him, awaiting his next orders. "Scorpion, I want you to go to the Lin Kuei temple. Tell them I will need their assistance sooner than planned." Scorpion disappeared in flames, leaving several burning papers on Quan Chi's desk. The pale man looked as the papers burned up, and said, "I really should rethink his method of transportation."

* * *

The Lin Kuei temple in Asia,

Smoke made his way through a corridor, able to sneak past most of the guards, thankfully. He had gotten the proper schematics for the temple a few weeks ago, only needing to get to the temple to free his friend. Hopefully. He wasn't expecting anything spectacular to happen. He was expecting to at least find out if Kuai Liang lived. He made his way into the correct room, opening it to reveal two scientist too focused on their work to notice the door open. Smoke carefully made his was over to one of them, smoke bomb in hand. He place his custom mask over his mouth, dropping the bomb. It went off quietly, catching the two men by surprise.

After short scuffle, Smoke had knocked the two scientist out cold. He stood over the machinery they were working on. He looked away in discuss. What showed was a blue robotic body, although not complete. Panels were missing, grey skin was showing, and an entire hand was still revealed. Smoke was about to detach the machine from the monitors, but realized that, whoever it was, would kill them if he did. He looked at the helmeted face, two metal prongs coming out, and wires coming out of the back of it's head. Smoke detached several levers, allowing to remove it. He did it slowly, a little clumsily, and dropped it at what he saw. He was right. Kuai Liang was here. But it was not the Kuai Liang he knew.

This... monstrosity was built around his corpse, skin grey, skull showing, and hair gone. Smoke stumbled back, terrified at what had happened to his best friend. He shook his head, unable to process what he was looking at. Numerous thoughts were running through his head. How had they gotten him? Why had they turned him into this... thing? How was he going to bring him back? But he already knew the answer. He wasn't. There was nothing he could do for Kuai Liang. Absolutely nothing.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

Smoke spun around to see the old man standing behind him. Smoke hissed out a name. "Oniro."

"Tomas. How it disappoints me to see you back here. Why would you come back when you escape? Don't you know that we would kill you?" Oniro was alone, walking around Kuai Liang's body. Smoke didn't take his eyes off of his former Grandmaster. "I expect so much more from you. So much." Oniro ran his hand across Kuai Liang's armored chest.

Smoke asked, "Why?"

"'Why?'" Oniro looked up at the ceiling. "I did it because you're all weak. Everyone of you needs to be replaced by the next generation. Robotics, for example, is the next generation."

"Taking away our free will, our instinct is the next generation?" Smoke shook his head. "You're insane, Oniro. I can't believe I ever believed in the Lin Kuei."

Oniro walked over to Smoke. "So you once believed in our cause? The true cause? What did we do wrong with you, Tomas? We treated you well since you were ten."

"No. You kidnapped me, dragged me here, beat me to near death on several occasions, and then trained me twenty-four/seven. That wasn't being 'treated well.' That was torture."

"So, you would not come back?"

"Never."

Oniro sighed. "I tried, Tomas. I truly did."

The door burst open to show two robotic figures. One yellow, the other red. Smoke back up from them, cautious. Oniro shouted, "Sektor! Cyrax!" The two robots looked towards their master. "Attack."

Cyrax transformed his hand into a buzzsaw, charging Smoke. The former Lin Kuei assassin jumped back, avoiding the saw before it could tear into his chest. Smoke tossed a smoke bomb at the three, disappearing in the confusion. After Oniro had finished and Cyrax and Sektor had been able to see through the smoke, they saw that Smoke had in fact disappeared. Sektor turned towards Oniro, in a monotone voice, and asked, "What shall we do, Master?"

Oniro stroked his beard. "Find him. Even if he leaves the country. I want his head. No exceptions."

Cyrax turned to the other Lin Kuei cyborgs, and spoke two words. "Operation; Devastation."

* * *

Cage's apartment,

Johnny saw Stryker walk in with a bruised Kenshi. Johnny cracked a joke while looking over his shoulder, sitting on the couch. "What happened to you? Slipped and fell?"

Kenshi shot Johnny a look, who took it in stride. "Hey, thanks for getting rid of my look, by the way. I was about to sue, you know."

Stryker finally said, "Shut up, Cage."

"Woah, last names," said Johnny. He put his drink on the coffee table, and asked, "What's up?"

"Remember that Hanzo guy?" told Kenshi.

Johnny shook his head, saying, "Doesn't ring a bell."

"From the tournament. Six months ago."

Johnny scratched his head. "I remember that, but I don't remember a Hanzo guy. Was it the guy with the bladed hat?"

"No."

"The ninja?"

"Which one?"

"The grey one."

"No."

"The golden one?"

"Yes. Finally."

"What happened?" asked Johnny, propping his feet up on the table.

Stryker replied, "Apparently, and this is simply from Kenshi, he attacked him."

"Kenshi attacked the ninja?"

"What? No. Hanzo attacked Kenshi."

"Oh. Continue."

"The reason this is significant, Cage," stated Kenshi, "is that he hasn't been seen since that tournament. Now he just pops up out of nowhere, attacks me, and then leaves, all of this without saying a single word. I don't know about you two, but that's just strange."

Stryker offered, "Too be fair, we only knew him personally for about a week. Although we do know more about him then Romeo did about Juliet."

Johnny looked towards Stryker under his sunglasses. "Last time I checked, this wasn't a poorly written love story."

"Woah," Kenshi said with faux suprise. "You mean to tell me that Johnny Cage can... read?"

"Har Har Har," Johnny laughed. "I'll have you know that I did go to a public school. And are you really one to talk?"

Kenshi crossed his arms. "The only reason I don't read is because I'm blind. I'm personally surprised you haven't considering you wear sunglasses all the time."

"Shut up. Anyway, what should we do about, uh, Hanzo, right? Yeah, Hanzo. What are we gonna do about him?" asked Johnny.

Stryker shrugged, but Kenshi narrowed his eyes, and said, "We go to the station, find Shang Tsung, and have him tell us what he knows about this."

Johnny shrugged as well, got up, and said, "Let's go."

* * *

Shang Tsung sat back down in his cell. He looked at the male officer who escorted him. The officer said, "Hope ya feel comfortable, Mr. Tsung. You're gonna be here for a long time."

A smirk on his face, Shang Tsung said, "Oh, I doubt that."

The officer mumbled, "Yeah, sure," tossed the keys into the air, caught them, and than repeated for several more minutes.

Once he knew the officer had left, Shang Tsung sat up, and walked over to the mirror. Oh, everything was coming to fruition.

* * *

Sonya walked into Jax's office, and said, "Well, we're almost ready to leave."

Jax nodded, sipped his coffee, turned a page of his newspaper, and said, "Good. So, I expect you to be gone in, say, a half hour?"

"Trying to get rid of me that quickly?" asked Sonya with a play smile on her face.

Jax chuckled to himself, and replied, "No, it's not that. I just need you to head out as quickly as you can. Shao Kahn isn't gonna capture himself."

Sonya lightly nodded, smiling at Jax. They were interrupted, however, by an explosion.

**_BOOM!_**

Jax and Sonya were thrown off their feet, landing on their sides. Jax got to his desk, pressing the communication button. "Alex! What the hell is going on?"

Alex's voice came through the intercom. "I don't know, sir! Something just exploded! I think-"

"It's a breakout," finished Sonya. She whipped out her pistol, holding it to the ground. "Sir, we should probably stop them."

Nodding, Jax said, "Alex, secure the prisoners. I'm going to stop these bastards. Sonya, you're with me. Move out."

Not waiting for a reply from Alex, and not really getting one, he and Sonya walked out of the office, seeing Alex and several others move towards the cells. An officer tossed Jax an assault rifle, Jax catching it with one hand. Sonya and Jax ran outside, seeing many men who looked like Baraka getting gunned down and slashing officers with their surgically implanted blades.

If there were only a few dozen they would be easy to handle, but there were at least a hundred. The numbers game played quite the part here. Every one gunned down, two more seemed to take his place. One shouted, "Beware the fury of the Tarkata!" He was quickly gunned down. Jax and Sonya were flanked by five officers, all firing short, controlled bursts into the crowd. The 'Tarkatans' differed in appearance, some white, some African American, some Hispanic, some Asian, but they all had the same piercings as Baraka, the same blades, and the same razor sharp teeth. One Tarkata jumped towards Jax, but one of the officers shot him in the head.

Jax thanked the officer, and turned his attention back towards the mob. "What do they want?"

"I don't know, sir," replied a redheaded, female officer. "They don't seem to be after anything! They're just atta-AGH!" A white Tarkata had been able to stab her through the chest, and kicked her off. He turned his attention towards Jax, but a bullet through the head put him down quickly.

Sonya ran over to check her pulse. There was none. If there was time to mourn, it would be later, but now they had to stay alive. Two officer mowed down five Tarkatas easily, but they were quickly torn apart. Jax, Sonya, and the two other officers, one of each gender, retreated further into the building.

The female officer asked, "What the hell are we gonna do?!" They were currently running as quick as they could, although they had to kill several for them not to catch up.

Jax curtly replied, "We go to Alex's location. She should be in a safe position. For now."

* * *

Alex and five officers were training their guns towards the only entrance to the cell block. They had heard the screams, the carnage, all of it not good. But they heard something that they didn't expect in this situation.

Laughter.

It was a quiet chuckle, but it was still chilling to the bone. They all turned around, seeing a pale white man standing behind them. He quietly said, "I believe I have an appointment to speak with Shang Tsung." He threw out his arms, green skulls firing towards the officers. Alex and two others managed to avoid them, but the rest weren't so lucky. They were blasted apart, blood splattering on everyone. Alex quickly whipped her pistol up, firing at Quan-Chi.

The necromancer simply waved his hand, the bullets flying in a different direction. Alex dropped her gun in shock, eyes wide, jaw dropped, backing up slowly. Quan-Chi stalked towards Alex, pushing a guard out of the way. He grabbed her by the neck, and lifted her off the ground to eye level. Her feet were a good foot off the ground. Banging on the door alerted the two, and Quan-Chi began putting more pressure on Alex's neck. She let out a quick cry, barely audible to the untrained ear. But Quan-Chi had a very trained ear.

Jax, Sonya, and the two officers burst in to see the sight. Qua-Chi turned his attention to the two, firing two skulls in their direction. Jax, Sonya, and the male officer dodged them, but the two skulls hit the female, completely obliterating her. Jax ran up to Quan-Chi, punching him twice in the face. The only effect that had was to make Quan-Chi flinch. The necromancer backhanded Jax into a wall, knocking him out cold.

Quan-Chi dropped Alex to the floor, who had fallen unconscious, and walked up to Shang Tsung. He turned around to face the remaining officers, and said, "Believe me, this has been fun, but I have things to do, people to kill. Good day to you all." He and Shang Tsung disappeared into green portals, leaving Sonya and the three remaining officers to look after their wounded.

Sonya shouted, "I need a medic!"

* * *

Kenshi, Stryker, and Johnny finally arrived in time to see every Tarkata disappear into green portals. Kenshi mumbled, "The hell?" They ran into the destroyed station, careful not to step on any of the deceased. After about five minutes of searching, they found someone. She was covered in blood, a large cut ran down her leg, but she was alive. Kenshi looked back to Stryker, and said, "Kurt, watch over her."

Stryker nodded, covering up the wound the best he could. Kenshi and Johnny left him, walking over the rubble. For once, Johnny didn't have a grin, he didn't crack a joke, he just frowned and walked. Kenshi was doing the same, although he wasn't looking around like Johnny. He was just walking ahead, nothing distracting him from his destination. Johnny asked, "Where are we going?" They turned a corner.

"The prison block. We need to see if any of them escaped," replied Kenshi.

"They probably did. What, with all of the people attacking." Kenshi abruptly stopped, motioning for Johnny to do the same. Johnny asked, "What is it?"

Kenshi turned his head towards Johnny, whispering, "We're not alone." He slowly took out his hidden pistol, Johnny taking off his sunglasses, ready for anything. "Duck."

Two Tarkatans jumped out of some rubble, tackling the two to the ground. Neither of them had their blades out, so they didn't have to worry about that. But they realized they were just as dangerous when one of them started throwing punches at Johnny's face, giving him a black eye. Kenshi was faring little better, just barely able to hold the man back with his arm. The slobber from the man's mouth dripping onto his face, reminding him of an incident with Repitle. The swordsman reached for his pistol, which had fallen from his hand during the surprise attack, but the man slammed a fist into Kenshi's chest.

Johnny was holding his hands close to his head, attempting to block the shots, but it was sadly unsuccessful. His head was slammed with the blows from the Tarkatan above him, rendering him unconscious in minutes. Kenshi turned his head over to the two, pushing the Tarkata off of him with a telekinetic push. He grabbed his gun, tackled the Tarkatan to the ground, shoved the gun under his chin, and fired. Brain matter flew all over the wall. Kenshi then backhanded the other Tarkatan with his fist, sending him into the wall.

He didn't stay down, as he kipped up immediately, popping out his blades. Kenshi evaded every slash easily. After a failed stab attempt from the Tarkata, Kenshi threw the blade into the stomach of the Tarkata, impaling him. Kenshi ran up to him, grabbing the hilt, yanking it out, and smashing it against the Tarkata's skull. Bone cracking under hilt, the skull shattered. Kenshi reared back, slashing the Tarakata in half vertically from the bottom. The two halves flopped to the ground uselessly, Kenshi holding the sword out.

"Very good, swordsman."

A chill, a short breath, and then Kenshi was on his back. He looked up, and saw the sorcerer, Shang Tsung, standing over him, flames dispersing from his right hand. "Tell me, how are things?"

Kenshi grimaced, kipped up, and lunged at Shang Tsung with an inhuman growl. Shang Tsung effortlessly dodged the attack, elbowing Kenshi in the lower back. Kenshi fell to the ground, dazed. Shang Tsung chuckled, walking slowly around Kenshi. The swordsman attempted to get up, but Shang Tsung slammed his foot against his back, sending him crashing down to the floor. Coughing up blood, Kenshi turned to his back.

Scorpion appeared in a burst of flames behind Shang Tsung. He had Stryker held by the neck, blood dripping down his nose and mouth, right eye blackened shut, and his left arm bleeding profusely. Kenshi could barely hear Stryker breathing. Whatever Scorpion did, it must have been quick, painful, and brutal. The hellspawn dropped Stryker to the ground, not even flinching. Shang Tsung kicked Stryker over to the downed swordsman, who stopped next to Kenshi.

Clapping his hands together, Shang Tsung said, "Well, to be honest, you all performed horribly. Based on last time, I'd figured you would've dealt with these two in several seconds."

"How?" whispered Kenshi, futilely trying to waken Stryker.

Shang Tsung laughed, slapping Scorpion playfully across the chest, who remained silent. "Well, those little things-" he motion towards the dead Tarakatas, "-helped break me out of prison, as well as a few... others." He nodded at Scorpion. He disappeared in a burst of flames. Shang Tsung turned his attention back towards Kenshi, and continued. "Now, I would've gladly killed you myself, but my partner decided it would've been better had I let these things do the dirty work. I find it so uncivilized." He walked around, stroking his beard. "Since he decided to take that pleasure, I sent his little errand boy on a little mission." He simply waved to Stryker. "It was sad. It only took a few minutes. I guess not everyone can be as gifted as you."

Kenshi, after several moments of hearing nothing out of rage, asked, "Why? What was the point of destroying the entire building? Why not have your partner-?"

"Because it wouldn't have been as fun. I loved seeing the destruction my underlings caused, it gave me pleasure." He stopped in front of Kenshi. "Now, I would've enjoyed it more had I been able to do it, but in my old age, that was out of the question." Shang Tsung grinned. "But, I want to give you an... offer."

Kenshi raised an eyebrow.

"What I propose would be beneficial to both of us. Join us."

Kenshi let out a slight chuckle. "What makes you think I'll join you?"

"I figured you'd need a little motivation. Here's the deal. If you join, I will persuade Shao Kahn to spare your pathetic friends."

Kenshi's eyes widened. "I'll give you some time to think about it," stated Shang Tsung. Scorpion reappeared in the room, grabbing Shang Tsung, and teleporting out. Kenshi, after some struggle, got to his feet, holding his arm. Kenshi just stood there in thought before moving towards Stryker.

* * *

Shang Tsung and Scorpion appeared before a cross-armed and grinning Quan-Chi. "So," started Quan-Chi, "how did it go?"

Shang Tsung patted some flames off of his shirt, caused by the teleporting Scorpion, and said, "About as well as planned. He'll be joining us within the week."

"Good." Scorpion walked over to Quan-Chi's side, not making a sound. "Now, about Shao Kahn-."

"Not here," interrupted Shang Tsung. "He has eyes everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. As far as I know, you could be one of his eyes and ears."

Quan-Chi simply stared at Shang Tsung blank-faced. "Whatever. Now, Scorpion, go to the temple. I want them here in an hour. No less." The hell spawn nodded silently, disappearing in fire.

* * *

An unknown location,

Smoke appeared out of some smoke, falling to the ground. He got to his hands and knees, coughing. He pulled off his mask, spat out some blood, and pulled down his hood to keep his long, white hair in place. Smoke threw his mask to the side, smiling to himself. He wiped off some grime on his face. It worked. He was home free. Wait. Where was he? This wasn't his intended destination. A hand was offered to him. It was a young hand, well-toned, unlike Oniro's. He took it.

He was hoisted up to his feet. He wobbled slightly, but he was able to stay up. He noticed how bright it was for the first time, as he covered his eyes.

"Too bright?" asked a voice. Smoke looked around.

"Who's there?"

"Oh, terribly sorry, I don't usually have visitors." He heard a clap, and the light dimmed. He saw that he was in a pastor, or so he thought. He saw that he was standing on clouds. He jumped back, startled. "You have nothing to worry about here. The ground is quite solid."

He looked ahead, and saw a young man, short black hair, a straw hat, and a white robe. The man had a blue shirt underneath the robe, and brown pants. Smoke asked once again, "Who are you?"

"What if I told you," started the man, "that I am the God of Thunder?"

Smoke eyes widened.

"Lord Raiden?"

* * *

A/N: Thought I forgot about him, didn't you? Fear not, he shall have more of a presence in this fic than the last one. Not much, but some.

Anyway, not much to add in this story, but what do you think will happen to Kenshi? Will he take to offer or reject to stay true to himself? Leave me your thoughts.

Spino, out.


	5. Chapter 4

Unknown location,

Smoke was standing before a man, known as the Thunder God, Raiden, with his jaw dropped. He was slowly backing away, stepping on what seemed like solid cloud.

A voice behind him said, "It's okay. I did the same."

Smoke turned to see a man in his early thirties, short black hair poking out of a bladed hat, and a blue vest, black pants, and black gauntlets. He held his hand out, ready to shake Smoke's. The former Lin Kuei looked to the man, squinting slightly. He asked, "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

The man said, "My name is Kung Lao. We were in a tournament together a few months ago."

Smoke nodded in realization, and said, "Alright, well, what are you doing in... wherever the hell this is?"

Raiden stepped towards the two men, stroking his slight stubble. "Actually," he stated, "this is what the humans would call 'heaven.' Although we have a different name for it."

"What?" asked Smoke.

Raiden then made a series of clicks and snorts, leaving Smoke confused. Raiden said, "You see, the true name is far too complex for simple mortals to understand. So, I just refer to it as 'heaven' in the presence of mortals, like yourself and Kung Lao."

Smoke nodded, walking around. Raiden and Kung Lao stood back, letting the ninja take in his surroundings. Finally, Smoke turned around, and said, "Why did you bring me here? What purpose did you have?"

Raiden walked closer to Smoke, arms crossed behind his back, jacket blowing in the wind, and said, "The Lin Kuei have far more than one reason to instate the Cyber Initiative. Before the tournament, Shang Tsung and Quan Chi made an agreement. Six months after the tournament, they would ask for the services of the Lin Kuei, and hire any and all street thugs to do their bidding. They've already broken Shang Tsung out of jail."

Smoke shook his head. "So, after all these years, the Cyber Initiative was just so they could take out the world?"

Raiden nodded. "Basically."

Smoke crossed his arms. He looked to Raiden, Kung Lao, then back to Raiden. "So, are we just going to fight them head on?"

"No," replied Kung Lao bluntly. He walked over to Smoke. "We need a few friends."

Raiden spoke up. "We will go to America. If we leave now, we may be able to get there in time."

Smoke looked to Raiden quickly. "Why can't we just teleport there?" he asked.

"Because it takes a lot of energy for me to do so, and I used it all up when I brought you here," answered Raiden. Out of nowhere, he let out a gasp, falling to the ground grabbing his head. Kung Lao and Smoke rushed to his side, grabbing his arms. The hoisted him up, with Kung Lao wrapping Raiden's arm around his neck. Raiden quietly said, "I'm fine."

"Is this a result of the teleportation?" asked Kung Lao.

Raiden shook his head. "No, not at all. Something is happening. But I don't know what."

Smoke, who let Kung Lao hold on to Raiden, asked, "How are we getting from Heaven to Earth? New York, no less."

"I have enough energy for one more teleportation. We'll be in New York, but not exactly at the right spot. Some walking will be required, of course," stated Raiden.

Kung Lao asked, "Will you be okay?"

Raiden shook his head lightly. "I am unsure at this moment." He held up his right arm abruptly, summoning lighting. He said, "Might want to hold on." Smoke grabbed onto Raiden's shoulder, and then all of them disappeared in a flash.

* * *

"Wake up!"

Stryker received a slap to the face, waking him up fully. He sat up quickly, asking, "What happened?" He then flinched, rubbing his neck. "And why am I sore all over?"

Johnny, who had woken up moments ago, was leaning on a wall, and said, "We got our asses handed to us by those Tarkatan motherfuckers." He was holding his arm, putting pressure on a cut he had gotten, tearing apart his shirt. "I swear we were tougher than that."

Kenshi helped Stryker to his feet, and said, "We are. But I guess they were better."

Scratching his head, Johnny asked, "I don't get it, didn't we beat the crap out of those ninjas at the tournament? They were supposed to be trained, right? So, how is it that we can't beat up a couple of thugs who probably never held an actual gun in their life?"

"I don't know, Johnny," replied Kenshi. "I just don't know."

Stryker, looking up, asked, "Where's Alex?"

Johnny looked over to the cop, and asked, "Why would you have to know?"

"I'm just worried about her safety is all," responded Stryker, albeit weakly.

"You have a crush on her, don't you?"

"I do not."

"Yes, you do."

Kenshi, not wanting to hear it, shouted, "Guys! Will you both shut up?" Miraculously they both did. "Since most of the building has been reduced to rubble, we'll have to sweep the area. Now, in order to do that, we'll need to figure out what is what. Do you understand what I'm saying?" They both nodded. "Good. Now, if we're done comparing dicks, let's move on."

Johnny shot Stryker a nasty look, who ignored it. They started down the remaining hallway.

* * *

In a holding cell sat a large, disfigured man, burned from years of pyrotechnics. He was rocking back and forth on his bench, listening to the destruction above. He whisperd, "It'll be over soon. You'll see. Then we shall be alright." He traced his hand over a burn mark on the walls, the ash blowing away from a gust of wind. The man raised an eyebrow. There was no wind here. Was there? Had God finally come to save him? He whispered, "I told you he would not leave us. You didn't believe me."

He stumbled off of his seat, crawling over to the door. He noticed the viewing slit open, so he risked a peak to the outside world. He licked his lips, awaiting the ability to finally be able to kill again. Flames came from behind him, a man dressed in a yellow and black burned ninja suit. It was heavily armored though, so the man just stood by the door, cowering away. The ninja took a step closer, grabbed the man's prison outfit, and disappeared in the flames.

* * *

Kenshi and Stryker pushed a very large piece of rubble to the side, hearing the loud _thump_ that it made. Johnny was off to the side, taping up his wrist. He had taken off his shirt, showing his **Johnny **tattoo across his chest. After he finished tapping them up, he punched his fist into his open palmed, ready for anything. Stryker called back to him, "Oh, thanks for the help. I have no idea what we could've done without you."

"No problem," Johnny replied smugly. Kenshi was ignoring the entire thing.

Stryker began pushing a slightly smaller piece, although not nearly a large. After a few minutes of struggling, he was able to push it aside. Stryker then raised his hand. Johnny asked, "What is it?"

"Why isn't Kenshi just moving all of this with his tele-thingy?" asked Stryker.

Kenshi replied, "Because it's just too damn heavy." Johnny looked at Kenshi curiously. "You see, I can only lift what I'm able to psychically. I know, it sucks, but you can't do it." Stryker nodded, and got back to work. Johnny actually joined in.

* * *

Shang Tsung was looking out the window. Stroking his new beard, he stated, "What could be taking him so long?"

"Who would that be?" asked Quan Chi, crossing the room of the office building they were currently in. Almost immediately after his escape, Shang Tsung gave Scorpion a mission, with the consent of Quan Chi, of course. Find the inmate known only as "Blaze." From what Shang Tsung had heard, the man was a sadist, but a very effective sadist. Knowing his instability, Shang Tsung realized that this man would be a necessary asset to his plans.

"Your pawn, Scorpion. I don't understand what could take him so long," replied Shang Tsung, turning to face his partner in crime. Shang Tsung was a very impatient man. He always liked things done as soon as they could. In reality, the tournament six months ago was supposed to be held three years from now. Shang Tsung did not understand that Shao Kahn wanted everything to be perfect, and in order to do that, he needed more time. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on what perspective you're looking at, Shang Tsung said, "Fuck it."

Now, look where that go him. In jail for six months. Quan Chi hated that about his partner, among many other things, but he needed him. "Scorpion has only been gone for five minutes. You'll be fine, my 'friend.'"

Shang Tsung turned his attention back towards the skyline, ignoring Quan Chi's logic. After several more minutes of silence, which Shang Tsung was pacing the room, Scorpion appeared in a burst of fire with another man. Shang Tsung looked away in disgust. The man made Scorpion look clean. Not a single patch of untouched flesh was anywhere on his face. Quan Chi wasn't deterred, however.

"So, you must be 'Blaze,'" stated Quan Chi, kneeling closer to the burned man, Blaze.

Blaze looked up at the pale sorcerer, and asked, "Did they send you to rescue me?"

Shang Tsung raised an eyebrow, but Quan Chi didn't skip a beat. "Yes. They still need you for one more mission."

Blaze clutched his forehead. "They said they'd make the voices go away if I killed all those people. But they didn't leave. They became stronger. Why would they do that?"

"They work in mysterious ways, my friend. Perhaps you didn't kill enough people. Maybe you need to do more," stated Quan Chi. Shang Tsung shook his head in disbelief behind the two men.

Blaze nodded furiously. "Yes, that must be it. I need to do more. Then, I will… be… at… peeeace."

Quan Chi's face turned to an amused and disgust expression. This really was a strange one. But he's seen stranger. Scorpion looked down at the man, and back at Quan Chi. His master nodded. Scorpion understood Quan Chi's orders, and disappeared once again. Shang Tsung then took his turn at Blaze. "I'm guessing you will need your materials to do this."

Blaze nodded furiously once again. Two Tarkatans walked in, carrying a large flamethrower, with a few gallons of gasoline contained in a large drum that strapped to the back. Shang Tsung motioned toward it, and Blaze followed his gaze. His eyes widened. He saw a third Tarkatan carrying a mask with him. I was black, but had two slits for the eyes. Blaze walked over to him, and grabbed the mask. Slipping in on, the Tarkatans finally felt like they could look at him.

Blaze grabbed the flamethrower, making sure to take good care of it. After it was on, he turned back towards Shang Tsung. "Now," he said, "point me in the right direction." Shang Tsung smiled.

* * *

Back at the station, Stryker and Johnny pushed the final boulder out of the way. Stryker opened the door, and found Sonya kneeling over Jax and Alex. Stryker rushed to Alex's side, and asked, "How is she?"

He heard a groan behind him, and it said, "Don't worry, _I'm_ fine." Jax sat up, holding his head in pain.

Stryker let out a short laugh. "Sorry, cap."

Sonya said, "She'll be fine. All she needs to do is rest." Stryker nodded, and looked down at Alex. She looked so peaceful, but he noticed the bruise around her neck. He touched it, and Alex groaned. Sonya grabbed his arm, and said, "I would do that if I were you. Her neck is in pretty bad shape."

Johnny and Kenshi helped the two cops who not only survived but did so with only a few bumps and bruises. One of them thanked Kenshi, and walked out. The other sat back down immediately, stating he was too tired to do anything. Kenshi asked Sonya, "So, how many did we lose?"

Sonya looked around. "Everyone you see walking or sitting is all we have left. Pure numbers were what did it. If they had the same amount of people as us, we would've crushed them." She sighed. "They also got-."

"Shang Tsung, I know," commented Kenshi. He shoved his face into his hands, shouting, "Damnit!" He punched a wall, splitting his knuckles. Stryker got up from Alex's side to help his friend. He placed his hands on Kenshi's shoulders. The swordsman brushed them off. He walked over to the other side of the holding cells.

They all sat there in silence. Finally, it was broken by Alex waking up. She groaned, followed by, "What happened?"

Stryker looked to her, and was at her side in a flash. "You okay?"

She rubbed her neck. "Only my everything hurts." She looked around. "Did he get away?" She was referring to Shang Tsung, if that wasn't obvious enough. Stryker only had to nod. "Fuck."

"Yeah," replied Stryker. He helped her to her feet. She swayed, and was about to fall, but Stryker caught her. He wrapped her arm around his shoulder, holding her up with his weight. He walked over to the wall, letting her lean against it to get the weight off of him.

Kenshi punched the wall again, causing it to crack. An eerie sense of failure hung over them, deafening everything else. Johnny, for once not totally oblivious to the situation around him, asked, "What are we going to do now?"

Jax said, from the ground, "We regroup. Find all of the survivors. Fight them. I thought that would be obvious."

Alex shot back, "With what? You saw how many of them there are. Even with every officer at the station we still were outnumbered and outgunned." She huffed, sat down slowly, wincing from the pain, and mumbled, "It's over."

"We're not giving up." Everyone looked towards Kenshi, who spoke for the first time in ten minutes. He moved from his spot, and continued. "We didn't give up six months ago, we're not giving up now. Yes, we are outnumbered. But that didn't stop us from beating that old piece of crap at the tournament."

Johnny mumbled, "Very Mary Sue-ish of us, if you ask me."

Everyone looked at him with a confused expression. He shrugged, not saying another word. Kenshi turned his attention back towards the others, and said, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to find Shang Tsung, and I'm going to stop him. Once and for all."

Johnny shouted, "Lame!" He was promptly slapped across the back of his head by Sonya.

"Kurt," said Kenshi, his attention on Stryker now, "you with me?"

Stryker shrugged, saying, "I've got nothing better to do."

Johnny added, "Count me in!"

Sonya said, "Sure. Why the hell not?"

"Sorry, but I'm gonna have to sit this one out," replied Jax, holding his arm in place. "I'm way to busted up."

"Me too." Alex was now leaning against the wall on her legs, gotten a boost of energy by Kenshi's speech. "I'm to injured to fight anymore."

Sonya nodded, looked at the two remaining officers, and said, "You in?" They nodded. "Good. We're going after Shang Tsung."

Johnny said, "There's just one problem with this plan." They all looked at him confused. "Where the hell is Shang Tsung?"

Everyone's mood deflated just a little.

* * *

Elsewhere in the city,

A blue portal opened, three men spilling out. Kung Lao was first, landing on his feet perfectly. He dusted himself off, and stepped aside. Smoke was next, landing on his feet, but falling to the ground. He got up, acting like nothing happened. Raiden step out weakly, grabbing his chest. He fell to his knees, gasping for air.

Kung Lao looked back, and, seeing him like this, exclaimed, "Lord Raiden!" He rushed to his side, but was pushed back by the Thunder God.

Raiden got ot his feet, although it took a minute, and said, "I'm fine. It's just- It's just that, this kind of stuff takes a lot out of me."

"I could only imagine," mumbled Smoke. They were currently in a dark alley, away from the streets. The former Lin Kuei assassin walked to the edge of the alley, taking a look into the streets. It was deserted. Smoke raised an eyebrow, looked back, and shrugged.

Kung Lao joined him, and asked, "Where is everyone?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be saying anything, would I?" retorted Smoke. Kung Lao rolled his eyes, and continued looking. Smoke looked back to Raiden, who was now leaning against a wall. He asked, "Lord Raiden? Where do you think they went?"

Raiden shook his head. "I'm not sure. I can only sense evil in this place." He jerked his head up. "Wait. I can sense something. Yes, it's them."

Kung Lao raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"The men from the tournament. Kenshi and Kurtis Stryker," replied Raiden, his strength having been renewed. He waked towards the street, but Smoke held him back.

"Lord Raiden, we don't know what's out there. As far as we know, a giant radioactive monster could be out there, and that's why the cities deserted," said Smoke. Kung Lao raised an eyebrow, looked at Smoke, and shook his head. "What? It could happen."

"Yeah, in the movies. Despite his absurd claims, he does have a point. We don't know what's out there," expressed Kung Lao rationally, more-so than Smoke, anyway.

Raiden nodded, his strength leaving him once again. He slumped against a wall, breathing deeply. Raiden's eyes then widened. "They're bringing him back."

Smoke looked back, and asked, "What?"

Shaking his head, he continued. "He's supposed to be dead. There's no way. It's impossible!" He slammed his fist against the wall, punching through it. Smoke and Kung Lao backed up slowly. "Those bastards. Those stupid bastards! This is defying every law set by the Elder Gods!"

Smoke, beginning to get worried, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's Kaui Liang," answered Raiden.

Smoke became deadly serious. "What about him?"

"They've already started. By God, they've already started."

* * *

The Lin Kuei Temple,

The ninja specter, Scorpion, appeared before Oniro. He tossed a piece of paper to him, earning looks of disgust at how disrespectful his behavior seemed. Scorpion stood there, awaiting his next order from the necromancer, Quan Chi. Oniro read it, grimacing. He crumpled up the paper, and handed it to an underling. He looked back at the Shirai Ryu, and said, "I would like to give Quan Chi my sincere thanks. Now, Scorpion, follow me."

Oniro got up from his throne, Scorpion following him, and walked into a hallway. Scorpion did not look at the aging Grandmaster, instead focusing on his desination. The Cyber Initiative. From the looks of it, not many had taken part, but he figured that would be changed. Being in this place stirred up something in him. Blood red rage. More than what he was experiencing everyday due to Quan Chi's torture. No, this was far deeper, far more personal. He couldn't quite understand this. He ignored it before but it appeared whenever he returned to this disgusting temple.

Once they got to a door, that was bolted, locked, guarded, laser-eyed, and any other forms to keep someone out, Oniro said, "I just want to give Quan Chi one of my cyborgs. This one is, admittedly, not my best, but I figured one is better than none." The door opened. "Now, as you can see-." Scorpion took out one of his swords, drove it into the neck of the guard on the right, shot his kunai into the other guards shoulder, kicked another guards legs out from under him, all the while pulled the guards arm out of his socket with the kunai. All of this happened in ten seconds.

Oniro was looking on in shock and horror. Scorpion looked back at the Grandmaster, and walked forward. The screams of the armless man were still heard, but his screams were soon silenced, as he had quickly bled out. Scorpion looked down at the man he tripped up. He kicked the guard in the head with a lot of force, knocking him out. He grabbed his sword, and yanked it out with a sickening noise. Oniro stuttered, "W-W-Why? Why did you do this? This was not part of our deal!"

A voice behind him said, "The deal has changed." Oniro spun around as fast as his body could allow, and came face to face with Quan Chi. "I've realized that you could not be trusted. So, in order to keep the plan following smoothly, you had to be eliminated." Scorpion, without a sound, drove his sword through Oniro's chest. Quan Chi grabbed Oniro's head, a green aura surrounding his hands. After a few seconds, Quan Chi calmly said, "Thank you, Oniro. Pleasure doing business with you."

Scorpion twisted the sword inside Onio's chest, and brought it upwards. Onrio's entire upper body was split vertically. The lifeless body fell to the ground. Scorpion stepped over him, but Quan Chi stopped him. "I need you to go back to Decon. You will lead the assault." Scorpion nodded, and disappeared.

Quan Chi turned, and stepped into the room. The bodies of the scientists were laid across the floor, their heads twisted backwards, and blood pouring out of holes. Quan Chi walked over to the operating table, and saw the completed project. A blue cyborg, similar to the others, laid before his eyes. He pressed a button, and the machine came to life. It's fist clenched, it's eyes turned on to reveal a bright blue color. The cyborg sat up. It looked over to Quan Chi.

Quan Chi leaned closer, and asked, "What is you're designation?"

The cyborg said, "I am Unit LK-520."

"What is you're code name?"

"I have no code name. Unit LK-520 is my designation."

Quan Chi smiled. He snapped his fingers, and he, along with LK-520, disappeared.

* * *

A/N: Well, there's that chapter. After a week, I feel like this is the time to give you chapter four.

Also, since I have be playing _**A**__** LOT**_ of Metal Gear Solid, I been pronouncing this Raiden's name as the MGS Raiden. If you wanna know how they pronounce it, look it up on YouTube, or something like that. That's also why this chapter took _soooo_ long to write. The prologue and chapters 1-3 were done well before their posting, but this chapter took about a month. Still not as long as the seventh chapter of my Jurassic Park: Ghost story is taking, but still. That's pretty bad. So, hope you enjoy, make sure to review, and have fun.

Also, I don't give a shit if it's Deacon and Decon. I spell like the later, so there. Shut the fuck up. Just kidding. You know I love ya.

Spino, out.


	6. Chapter 5

Kenshi, Stryker, Johnny, and the rest of the survivors trudged out of the destroyed station. They had no idea where to start looking. Kenshi had kept Shang Tsung's request a secret, as not to anger anyone else. Or something. They left Jax and Alex behind, as they were too injured to do anything right now. Sonya took the other two survivors, along with Stryker, and went to find Shao Kahn.

Sonya had procured an abandoned pickup, hotwired it, and got it ready to go. One of the surviving cops called shotgun, and hopped in the front. The other sat in the bed of the truck. Stryker told Kenshi that he'd be helping with the hunt for Shao Kahn.

During that conversation, Kenshi said, "Are you sure you don't want to help?"

"Nah. Besides, Shang Tsung is yours to handle," said Stryker. "Plus, I really don't want to be with Johnny."

"Why not? He's not that bad." When Kenshi didn't hear Stryker reply, he added, "Okay, he's that bad, but at least he's tolerable in small doses."

Stryker shook his head, and said, "Well, I guess I'll be heading out with Sonya. I'll make sure to tell you how we beat the snot out of the 'Kingpin of Crime.'"

Kenshi chuckled. The bumped fist, and went their separate ways. Stryker jumped into the bed, slapped the roof, and the truck drove off. They were soon obscured by a cloud of dust.

Johnny walked up behind Kenshi, slapped him on the back, and said, "Well, where do we start?"

_BOOM!_

They turned towards he explosion, the flames rising high into the sky. Kenshi said, "I say we start with the explosion."

"Good plan."

They rushed to the source of the sound, Kenshi's hand on his sword, Johnny's sunglasses in pocket.

* * *

The villians hideout,

Quan Chi and LK-520 appeared before Shang Tsung. The necromancer stepped aside, letting Shang Tsung get a good look at LK-520. The cyborg stood stiffly, as he had not been commanded by his masters to move. Shang Tsung dragged a hand across LK-520's chest. "Very interesting," mused Shang Tsung. "What about the others?"

Quan Chi said, "Cyrax and Sektor were gone. The other is still missing."

"Three years of searching, and still nothing," mused Shang Tsung aloud. Three years ago the Lin Kuei officially started their Cyber Initiative. The prototype had a mind of its own, the personality and the will still intact. That was when the Lin Kuei were not so worthless. The prototype, after a few minutes of being online soon escaped, slaughtering the entire staff and patients. They soon lost track of him. The name was going to be LK-7T2. Now it had no name.

"I'm sure it will turn up soon," stated Quan Chi. "I also heard that the remaining police are off to find Shao Kahn."

"Of course they are," snarled Shang Tsung. "They probably think he's behind this all." He stroked his beard gently. "What are we going to do with you?"

"We can send LK-520 to hunt them down."

"Let them squabble about. I'm more concerned about Kenshi." Shang Tsung thought of their past. How Shang Tsung blinded the swordsman and, in return, was imprisoned for six months. It was all part of the plan, but that didn't make those six months any better. "He needs to stay behind in order for our plan to succeed."

Quan Chi smirked. "Don't fear that, Shang Tsung. The swordsman, along with the actor, are still in the city."

"I believe they are heading towards the explosion as we speak. Correct?" asked Shang Tsung. Quan Chi nodded. "Well, that means the citizens of this city will be attempting to escape. Send Kano, Baraka and Liu Kang to deal with them."

"Of course." Quan Chi exited the room, leaving Shang Tsung alone with LK-520.

* * *

Elsewhere,

"Burn!"

Blaze was unleashing hell through his flamethrower. Under his mask, he had an expression of glee on his face. They wanted him to burn it to the ground? He would burn everything. "That's right, you unholy fools!" screamed Blaze. "They will destroy you all for your unholiness!" He let loose some flames in the sky, burning some birds. He then redirected it at a family of three trying to escape.

He steadied the flamethrower, sweat beading down. These three were an affront to his gods. Just as he was about to let loose hell on this family, someone tackled him. He was thrown to the floor, the flames firing into the sky. His flamethrower was knocked out of his hand, leaving him defenseless. He got to his feet, looking at his assailant. The blind swordsman. He hissed, "You dare stop me from doing the work of gods?!"

Kenshi slid his sword out of its scabbard, holding it steady in front of him. The insane man in front of him thought he was doing the work of gods? He guessed Blaze always was a psycho. Kenshi didn't give Blaze an answer.

Johnny was doing his best to sneak behind Blaze to get the family. As they were too scared to move, he whistled in their direction. The father looked over, and, seeing Johnny wave them over, started leading his wife and son over. But a wall of fire blocked them, causing Johnny to shield himself, as the father shielded his family. Blaze, who had picked up the weapon, shouted, "No one is leaving this spot. I want to have an audience as I destroy him!" He pointed at Kenshi, who was standing still. "No matter what, someone will see one of us die, swordsman. And that one will be you."

Kenshi, hearing enough of it, dashed towards Blaze with lightning fast speed. Blaze, thinking fast, let loose a stream of fire towards the swordsman. Kenshi felt the heat before the fire left the weapon, so just as the fire was about to hit him, he strafed to the left. Blaze turned the weapon towards Kenshi, who was faster than Blaze. The swordsman rolled to the ground, avoiding the stream of fire. The weight of the weapon didn't allow Blaze to turn in time. Kenshi got to his feet quickly, rushing Blaze.

The swordsman sent a fist into Blaze's face. Kenshi kicked Blaze's legs out from under him. Blaze snarled at Kenshi. The swordsman took his sword, and cut the hose that connected the gas tank to the actual gun. Blaze looked up at Kenshi furiously, but the swordsman didn't care. He grabbed Blaze by the collar, and hissed, "Where is Shang Tsung?"

"Shang Tsung? Shang Tsung is nothing but a pawn in a much larger game," stated Blaze menacingly. "My masters have commanded me to follow Shang Tsung, as it will benefit them more if he is in control than you filthy scum."

Johnny, who had led the family away, walked up to Kenshi. "So, what did I miss?"

"My masters will reign supreme over you. Everyone against them will burn," hissed Blaze.

"How do you know that all of these people were against you?" asked Kenshi, puzzling Johnny.

"Sacrifices must be made, swordsman. The masters told me it would be necessary. What are you willing to sacrifice?" Blaze started to get up, but Kenshi socked him in the face. Blaze grunted, holding his broken nose. "Alright, I'll tell you. The address he is at is 488 east Midway Boulevard. Remember that? Good. You better hurry."

Something in his arm moved, revealing a small device. He held it up at Kenshi and Johnny, letting loose a stream of fire. Johnny dodged the fire, but Kenshi wasn't so lucky. He was able to avoid most of it, but a portion of the stream got at Kenshi's face.

Blaze, during the confusion, made his quick escape. He ripped the device off his arm, shed the backpack, and ran the opposite direction.

The worst pain Kenshi had ever been through was when he was blinded by Shang Tsung. Getting half of his face burned was a very close second. Kenshi let loose a howl, a scream of pain just as loud as that day when he screamed at Shang Tsung that he would kill him. Kenshi grabbed his face, still screaming, and fell to the ground. Kenshi stopped screaming after a minute, finally getting his bearings. Johnny, who was blocked off by the same wall of fire, was finally able to get to the fallen swordsman.

Johnny exclaimed, "Kenshi!"

Johnny helped Kenshi up, but the swordsman pushed him away. Kenshi got to his feet himself, but he fell immediately after. Kenshi said, "We need to get to Shang Tsung."

"You're in no position to do anything," retorted Johnny.

"It's my fault that monster is still alive. If only I had killed him when I had the chance," stated Kenshi matter of factly. He finally got to his feet. He swayed a bit, but he remained standing. Kenshi was still holding his face in pain. "I need to see this through. I need to stop him."

Johnny crossed his arms. In the six months Johnny got to know him, he learned that Kenshi was a stubborn jackass. But this was the one time Johnny wasn't backing down. The actor shouted, "Half of your face is burned off! How are you going to do anything in your condition?"

"It's just my face," Kenshi replied. "I have no need for my eyes. My arms and legs are perfectly fine." But Kenshi was lying. He was in unbearable pain right now. He needed to rest. But he needed this more. He needed to accomplish this. "We're wasting time."

Johnny threw up his hands in defeat. Kenshi made his way towards the location Blaze provided them, a disappointed Johnny following closely behind.

* * *

Stryker said, "I still can't believe his hideout is in the middle of the city."

The officer sitting opposite to him in the bed of the truck, a man named David, replied, "I guess some things are more obvious thank we might think."

"Well, I guess it makes the trip shorter for us," joked Stryker.

David chuckled at the joke. The other officer in the cab called back to them. "We're almost there, guys!"

"Finally," exhaled David.

Stryker took his Smith & Wesson Model 5946 pistol, while David took out the Glock 19. Sonya parked the truck next to a small building, about the size of a normal house, all four officers getting out. Sonya took the lead, the unnamed officer following, with Stryker and David watching their back.

When they got to the door, Sonya stopped them. She looked back, and counted down from three.

3...

Stryker cocked his gun.

2...

David shifted in place.

1.

Sonya kicked the door in, the four officers training their guns on anything that moved. The things was, however, that there was only one man. A frail, pale man who screamed, jumping back further into the house. The man held up his hands, whimpering, "Please, don't shoot!"

Stryker lowered his gun in disappointment, groaning. "We got the wrong house!"

"We haven't even searched the place. How do you know?" asked David.

The unnamed officer said, "If he was here, there would be a lot of guards."

The whimpering man said, "W-Who are you l-looking for?" He crawled out from under the desk, readjusting his glasses.

Sonya replied, "Shao Kahn."

The man looked around. He said, "Well, he's d-definitely not here."

Stryker turned to look towards the man. He pointed, and said, "You know where he is, don't you?"

"I-I-I-I don't even know who you're talking about." He was lying. Stryker could tell. Walking towards him, Stryker grabbed him by the collar, pulling him close. The man screamed louder this time.

"Where is he?" Stryker shouted.

"I'm him!"

All four officers jaw dropped. Stryker was so in shock, he let go of the man. The whimpering man crawled back into his little hiding place, leaving the officers standing there. Sonya shook her head, saying, "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

"No, it's not," the man, who was claiming to be Shao Kahn, said. "I'm just a man who was trying to find work."

David mumbled, "We're gonna get a five minute exposition on this, aren't we?"

"One day, I was fired from my job. I was desperate, trying to find anything I could find to survive. Then a man came to me."

"Shang Tsung?" asked the unnamed solider.

He nodded. "He came to me with a proposition. He wanted me to move from place to place, using my voice to confuse you. All those phone calls you received of my 'commanding him?' All fake. In truth, he was commanding me. Telling me where to go, what to say, what to do. Obviously he didn't find me too important if he didn't have some guards around to protect me." He had stopped trembling long ago.

"Shang Tsung told me that if I ever betrayed him, he would find me no matter where I hide and kill me. So, I did what he said, no questions asked. I was paid handsomely, I was able to walk around freely. I had set times to contact him, read my script, and move on with my life until I had to repeat. He knew where I was, wrote the locations down, and warned me not to do anything that might ruin his mission."

Sonya said, "But, he gave us the locations. Why?"

The man shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm not important anymore. I'll probably be dead before the day is out. It's funny, for the past seven years, my name has been Shao Kahn. I don't even remember what my real name is anymore. That is what I hate most about this situation. I'm not even the same man as before. I feel I've become a darker man, more sadistic. Shang Tsung's given me chance's to torture people just for kicks. I agreed."

"Why?" Stryker was intrigued in this topic.

"I'm not sure. I guess I just wanted to know how it feels."

David stepped forward, and asked, "And you think that, just because you're not a part of the actual bad guys, we're not going to arrest you?"

"Why bother arresting me? I'll be dead by tomorrow morning anyway." He sat down on the chair.

Stryker realized something. "Wait. Was this all a trap?"

"Knowing Shang Tsung? Probably." The man stood up, and walked across the room. "I'll give you his location. I'm good as dead anyway. Go to the apartment building on Midway Boulevard."

"But, there are five apartment building at Midway," reminded Stryker.

"That's all I can do for you," said the man. He looked at the clock. "You're friend has probably already reached the location. Better hurry."

Stryker, David, Sonya, and the unnamed officer quickly left. The man fell back onto a chair, letting out a sigh.

Twenty minutes passed, and he heard the sound of spurs. He looked too the door, and saw a young man with a certain swagger walk in. The man was dressed in a nicely pressed blue suit, complete with a tie. Several gun belts were wrapped all around his chest. Two holsters each containing a Colt Single Action Army revolver. He had a short head of white hair, and defined features. The boots on his feet featured spurs, an homage to the man's favorite genre of film, spaghetti western.

"Shao Kahn," stated the young man. He slowly pulled the right hand revolver out its holster.

The man sitting down said, "Revolver."

Revolver twirled his gun on his right index finger. The smirk on his face was firmly planted. "The boss wants me to tie up all of his loose ends," stated Revolver calmly. He stopped twirling his gun, training it on the man. "There is only one bullet in here. I'm gonna pull the trigger three times. If you're not dead, I'll let you go. Now, I'm not saying you'll survive anyone else the boss sends, but that's not my problem, is it?"

He took a bullet out of one of the belts, opened up the chamber, placed the bullet in, and spun the barrel. He pulled the trigger immediately after. _C__lick._ Revolver chuckled. He walked closer to the man, who remained calm despite having a gun trained to his head, and said, "One down. Think you're lucking enough to survive two more? Let's find out." He pulled the trigger again. The clicking sound was heard.

Revolver frowned. "I was sort of hopping to kill you. Well, I expect you to be dead before the day is out anyway." He turned on his heal, and started to walk out. The man sitting down let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, Revolver stopped. "Wait! I miscounted. That was only two shots." He quickly spun around, firing a bullet through the man who was know as Shao Kahn's brain. Blood and brain matter splattered all over the wall behind them.

Revolver twirled his gun in his hand for a few seconds, then holstering it quietly. He took out his phone, and said, "It's done."

A voice on the other side said, "Excellent, Revolver. You're payment is waiting for you."

"Amazing. So, what's you're status?"

"Just mopping up over here. So long, Revolver."

The gunslinger hung up without another word.

* * *

Midway Boulevard, twenty minutes ago,

Kenshi fell to the ground, hacking violently. He must've inhaled a large amount of smoke during his tussle with Blaze. The right side of his face was burned from under his eye. Johnny helped him up, but Kenshi was still coughing. Kenshi pushed Johnny away, leaning against the wall. The blind swordsman looked at his palm, and saw a bit of blood. He touched the right side of his face, wincing in pain. He looked towards the entrance of the apartment building Blaze told them.

The blind swordsman walked into the lobby, followed closely by Johnny. Kenshi said, "Johnny, you take the first five floors. I'll take the upper levels."

Johnny nodded, running off in a different direction. Kenshi walked over to the elevator slowly, coughing loudly. He stopped before continuing, clutching his chest tightly. He looked up to the top of the stairwell, and started ascending.

Shortly after Kenshi was out of sight, Scorpion appeared in the spot Kenshi left. He looked up, narrowing his eyes. He silently followed the blind swordsman, not making a single noise.

* * *

A/N: And that's where this chapter ends. I just Iron Man 3-ed ya! Are you pissed? Did you expect it? Hopefully not.

And yeah, Revolver is based on (more like ripping off) Revolver Ocelot from Metal Gear Solid. I like the character, okay?!

Stay tuned for chapter VI!

Spino, out.


	7. Chapter 6

On the rooftops above Decon City, two men ran across the rooftops. One was a long, silver haired man, while the other was wearing a blade rimmed hat.

Smoke jumped from one rooftop to another, rolling before getting back to his feet. Kung Lao jumped, but remained on his feet. Smoke yelled back, "So, where exactly are we heading, anyway?"

Kung Lao, taking in short breaths, replied, "We're heading to someplace called Midway Boulevard. That's what Lord Raiden said, anyway." He then asked, "How are you not out of breath yet?"

Smoke skidded to a stop, a thankful Kung Lao stopping shortly. The former Lin Kuei shrugged, stating, "Maybe you're just out of shape."

"I've been running for twenty minutes straight!"

Smoke shrugged again, starting to run again. Kung Lao rolled his eyes, hurrying after his comrade.

* * *

Kenshi leaned against the corner, pulling out his hidden pistol. He pulled out the clip, making sure it was full. Only two bullets were in the clip, but it wasn't meant to be in heavy fire fights. The gun itself was designed specifically for stealth missions. Now he was started to wish he had an actual gun. But at least he had his trusty Blade of Sento.

He quietly turned his ear around the corner, making sure to not make a single noise. He heard a distinct Australian accent. "So, the boss wants us ta go and deal with those scurrying little civilians."

A voice with a subtle Asian accent said, "I don't see the point. It'll be a waste of time and resources."

"Yeah, but it'll be fun." A new voice? This one was just a normal American accented voice. Almost indistinguishable from just another henchmen.

The Asian said, "You always say that, Baraka. I don't know, killings just lost it's edge."

"Mate, don' say that! We jus' gotta go out killin', maybe that'll help," said the Australian voice. Probably Kano. No, not probably. Defiantly Kano. Kenshi jerked back behind the corner, readying his pistol. "Now, let's get goin'. Everyone 'll be dead before we get there."

The three voices dissipated into the opposite direction, a thankful Kenshi letting out a sigh of relief. He then felt a ting of pain in the right side of his face. He pressed his hand against the burn, but that only made it worse. He shook his head, getting back to the mission at hand. He used his enhanced hearing to sense if anyone was still in the hall. He aimed his gun down the hallway, pointing it in all directions.

He then felt a great heat behind him. His eyes widened. He dropped to the floor before a large fireball hit him in the back. He jumped up to his feet, and said, "Okay, I have already been burned once, I am not in the mood for this, Hanzo!"

Scorpion walked towards Kenshi, his kunai swinging from his fist. The ninja spectre stopped in front of the blind swordsman, who pointed the gun at the spectre's head.

He fired.

Scorpion's head was thrown back, the spectre stepping back. Kenshi turned to leave, but a hand grabbed him by the shoulder. He was flipped around, a fist being sent into his face.

Kenshi screamed in pain, his injured side taking the brunt of the force. He shook off the pain, grabbing his sword. The ninja rushed Kenshi, sending a punch towards his stomach. Kenshi jumped back, slashing his sword upwards. Scorpion was able to avoid the sword, sending another fireball towards the swordsman. Kenshi did a back flip, the fireball narrowly missing his noise. The swordsman clutched his sword with both hands, swinging it at Scorpion.

The ninja took out one of his katanas, parrying each blow. When Kenshi brought the sword to the right, Scorpion blocked it, and made an attempt to stab him in the shoulder. Kenshi ducked down to avoid the blow, trying to cut Scorpion legs out. The ninja jumped, narrowly missing the blade. He brought the blade down, but Kenshi rolled out of the way. They smashed both of their blades against each others, trying to over power each other yet again.

Kenshi gritted his teeth, Scorpion narrowed his eyes. Kenshi was able to take a step forward, making Scorpion's eyes narrow further. Kenshi broke the struggle by jumping back, Scorpion's blade lodging itself into the ground. The ninja looked up at Kenshi, avoiding the blade that was embedded into the floor. Scorpion punched Kenshi in the chest, sending him flying backwards. The swordsman crashed into a wall, the debris falling down on him. Kenshi groaned, feeling the pain of the burn return. Scorpion's kunai emerged from his hand, sent towards Kenshi.

The swordsman rolled out of the way, and the kunai was lodged into the wall behind him. The swordsman sensed his sword arcoss the room. Scorpion looked over to the sword. He raised his hand towards the sword, letting loose a fireball. The Sento was surrounded in hellfire, cutting it off from Kenshi. The swordsman let out a sigh of pain. He stood up, posturing himself in his Tai Chi technique.

Scorpion's katana disappeared in fire, the ninja putting himself in an unknown fighting stance. The two charged each other.

* * *

Kung Lao landed on a dumpster, while Smoke landed on the street. Kung Lao jumped down, looking towards the apartment complex. Smoke walked up to Kung Lao, and asked, "So, this is the place, huh?"

"That's what Lord Raiden said," replied Kung Lao while nodding.

They carefully walked over to the front door. But gunfire distracted them. They looked to their left, and saw three men firing into a fleeing crowd. Kung Lao looked a little more closely, and noticed something. "Liu Kang."

The three men on the building were Kano, Baraka, and Kung Lao's former friend and rival, Liu Kang. Kano was a scraggly man, unshaven, and an eye-patch over the right eye. Baraka was very similar to the Tarkatans, only his piercings were more pronounced. Liu Kang was of Asian decent, long black hair, a scowl on his face. They were each holding a variant of the M4, firing three round bursts into the crowd. Several people feel to the ground dead, their screams being silenced.

Kano's laughter was vaguely heard, although they didn't hear it as well through the screams. Kung Lao started for the three criminals, but Smoke stopped him. The former Lin Kuei said, "We can't do anything now."

Kung Lao looked back, and said, "I'm stopping them. Weather you help me or not."

Smoke sighed, knowing what Kung Lao meant. He remembered his final time seeing Kuai Liang, the true Kuai Liang. He was so set of defeating Scorpion, to make his brother proud. That didn't mean Smoke felt any better about leaving him behind. When he heard about his death, he was crushed. Two weeks later, he discovered the Cyber Initiative. He soon abandoned the Lin Kuei. Shortly after, however, he fell into a two year coma. He didn't remember where he awoke. Maybe he would ask Raiden about it.

The former Lin Kuei nodded, letting Kung Lao run into an alley.

* * *

Elsewhere,

Stryker was now riding shotgun, siding beside Sonya. "Where are we going? Midway's that way," he said, pointing behind him.

Sonya said, "We need to get Jax and Alex. Maybe they could help."

"Aren't they still injured?" asked Stryker.

Sonya shrugged, gunning the engine.

* * *

Kenshi was punched in the face, sending a tooth flying. He turned back towards Scorpion, punching him in the chest. Kenshi roundhouse kicked Scorpion across the face, sending the ninja spectre to the ground. Kenshi stomped on Scorpion's chest, holding him down. The ninja looked up, but Kenshi applied more pressure. Scorpion flinched in pain. He grabbed the swordsman foot, flipping him backwards so that he would land on his back. Kenshi did just that, groaning in pain.

Scorpion took out his kunai, and stabbed it into the ground. Kenshi's head was the intended target, but he quickly moved out of the way. Kipping up, Kenshi did a three-hundred sixty degree leg sweep, but Scorpion jumped over it. Straightening himself, Kenshi took his gun out, and fired a shot into Scorpion's chest. The spectre looked down, and touched the bullet wound. He then did something that disgusted Kenshi. He dug into his chest, feeling around for the bullet.

He pulled it out with a sickening sound, tossing it behind him. Kenshi rushed Scorpion, tackling him to the ground. He did a somersault, rolling before uncurling himself to his feet. Scorpion looked up towards Kenshi before flattening himself to the ground. He disappeared in the flames he created. Kenshi sensed that he was gone, feeling for the heat that would soon appear. But, without the Sento, his senses were not as sharp. Scorpion appeared beside him, socking him in the face. He grabbed Kenshi's head, and sent it into his knee before throwing Kenshi to the ground head first.

Kenshi grabbed his head in pain, groaning to himself. He did a short kip up, spinning around before sending a wave of telekinetic energy towards Scorpion. The ninja spectre braced himself, but that didn't stop him from being sent back a few feet. He looked past is arms, and saw Kenshi standing there, summoning a ball of energy. The swordsman sent it forward, the ball slamming against Scorpion's chest. The Shirai Ryu assassin. Kenshi wasted no time in rushing Scorpion again.

The two had a brief power struggle, but Scorpion broke it. He grabbed Kenshi by the throat, lifting him into the air. He punched Kenshi's chest, breaking a few ribs. Kenshi let out a scream of pain, coughing up blood as well. Scorpion slammed Kenshi into the ground, giving Kneshi a concussion. But the swordsman would not stop. Kenshi grabbed Scorpion's arm, flipping him over. Kenshi got up, and sent a telekinetic hold on Scorpion. The Shirai Ryu was stuck in Kenshi's hold, who was now coughing violently. Kenshi, while still coughing, turned Scorpion upside down, and slammed him into the ground head first. Cracking his skull.

Scorpion flopped to the ground, seemingly out cold. Kenshi was now clutching his chest, spitting out blood. He felt a burst of heat, and could no longer feel Scorpion's presence in the room. Kenshi closed his eyes, and prepared for Scorpion's reappearance. He felt the heat behind him. He quickly spun around, his fist connecting with Scorpion's face. Kenshi grabbed Scorpion by the collar, and threw him across the hall. Scorpion shook his head, and got to his feet.

The two circled each other, each preparing to lash out a the other. Kenshi let out a deep exhale, and he was the first to make a move. Scorpion ran towards Kenshi as well, the two entering yet another power struggle. Kenshi was gritting his teeth, but Scorpion had the same expression. Narrowed eyes. Kenshi let out a ferocious yell, and tackled Scorpion. The ninja spectre, while on the ground, disappeared again.

The swordsman carefully focused his senses. He didn't notice the heat ten feet behind him, nor did he hear the quiet footsteps. He did, however, feel the sword pierce through his chest. Kenshi's world stopped. He let out a quick gasp, and felt the blade itself. His Sento. Scorpion had grabbed it, and sent it through Kenshi's abdomen.

The swordsman fell to the ground, slowly bleeding out. Scorpion grabbed Kenshi by the hair, and they both disappeared.

* * *

Johnny was walking through the hallway, scanning every room that he came across. He heard someone approaching behind him. He spun around, and saw a familiar face. Smoke. "Oh, it's you. I thought it was someone else."

Smoke nodded. "Lord Raiden sent me."

"Who?"

"Thunder God."

"Ah. That makes sense. So, what are you doing here?" asked Johnny.

Smoke shrugged, and said, "I'm supposed to help with something. I forgot what it-"

Several Tarkatans interrupted their conversation, tackling the both of them to the ground. The two men were quickly overpowered, Johnny spitting obscenities at the two Tarakatans. They were dragged down the hall, Johnny still shouting.

* * *

Sonya stopped the truck in front of the apartment. They saw Kano and Baraka firing on the civilians. Sonya took David, Jax, and the unnamed officer, while Stryker and Alex went into the building.

The two officers heard Johnny shouting, so they quietly followed the screams.

* * *

Scorpion appeared in front of Shang Tsung, Kenshi still with him. Shang Tsung smiled, showing his pearly whites. He had waited for this moment, to finally get rid of this pest who had been bothering him for the past ten years.

The sorcerer circled Kenshi, saying, "My, my. You looked terrible, Kenshi." He grabbed the hilt of the Sento, still embedded inside of Kenshi. He pushed it in further, loving the sound of Kenshi's groans of pain. "I always expect you would die in front of me, swordsman, but by your own blade? That's a new one. That is very new." He pulled the blade halfway out of Kenshi's chest.

Kenshi spit out some blood, and said, "You don't even have the... the decency to f-finish me yourself?" He coughed, feeling his broken ribs penetrate his lungs. He then said, "I-I always figured you for a... for a c-coward."

"I'm no coward, swordsman," replied Shang Tsung. He pulled the blade out a little bit more, causing Kenshi to cough more. "I just didn't want to waste my time with you, that's all. For, you see, I feel as though while I have more important things to do that fight you, I feel as though I can kill you. Nothing, to me, is more important right now than pulling out the thorn in my side." He pulled the blade out completely, Kenshi's blood staining it.

The swordsman leaned forward, about to fall, but Shang Tsung caught him. "Now, I'm still figuring out how I can kill you. I can wait till you're friends arrive in a few minutes, scarring them, or I can kill you now, and get it over with. Either option is available. You won't bleed out for another hour, so I can wait."

He heard a door opening, and he saw a few Tarkatans dragging a struggling Johnny and Smoke into the room. Johnny stopped screaming when he saw his friend. He whispered, "Kenshi?"

"Hello, Mr. Cage," said Shang Tsung. "Been quite sometime, hasn't it?"

For once, Johnny didn't respond with some smartass comment. He didn't have his goofy grin plastered on his face. He only had a look of pure and utter defeat. While Smoke was not as crushed, he still felt for the man next to him.

This group of Tarkatans were followed by two more, dragging Stryker and Alex. When Stryker saw the state of his best friend, he felt a little part of him cry out. He shouted, "You bastard! What did you do to him?!"

"Ah, officer Stryker!" exclaimed Shang Tsung. "Now this show can really begin!"

He took the Sword of Sento, and drove it through Kenshi's sternum. Stryker lunged forward, but he was held back by one of the Tarkatans. Shang Tsung pulled the blade out slowly, intentionally. Stryker was now attempting to break free of his captors harder than ever. Alex shed a single tear. Johnny was no longer moving. And Smoke's eyes had widened, and his mouth was agape.

The old man twirled the sword, taunting his captives. He laughed, and said, "Now, let's finish him!"

Kenshi turned his head towards Stryker, convulsing violently. He then nodded lightly. Stryker was shaking his head, wanting to look away. Shang Tsung drove the Sento through Kenshi's heart, finally putting an end to the swordsman life.

"No!" Stryker broke free of his captor, attempting to get his hands on Shang Tsung, but he and the rest of his henchman disappear into green portals. Strker grabbed Kenshi's body before it fell to the ground.

He trembled with fear. Tears were rolling down his cheeks, and he said, "Kenshi, please don't die. Please, don't. We still need you."

However, he didn't get a response. He felt for Kenshi's pulse, finding nothing.

Kenshi, his best friend for the past four years, was dead.

* * *

A/N: Yeah.

Kenshi died. Betcha didn't see that coming did ya?

Okay, I really didn't want to write this chapter. Not because I didn't want to have Kenshi die, no. That was the first thing planned for this sequel actually. I think he's the first major character who's died.

So, it okay to feel a bit sad. I feel sad. It makes it even sadder that I was watching the Legacy web series while writing this.

Spino, out.


	8. Chapter 7

Kenshi was dead.

One minute he was alive, the next he was gone. Everyone in this room had some sense of sadness.

For Johnny Cage, he had lost one of his only friends. While he was not nearly as close to Kenshi as another, he was still visibly deflated by the loss. He was passing around the room, muttering to himself, "This isn't happening." No goofy grin was seen on his face. Nothing. Only a feeling of defeat. He was clutching his head, shaking it as well. He was the only one really talking, muttering the same thing over and over again, almost as if saying it will magically make the last ten minutes never happen.

The only one who had managed to keep his cool throughout was Tomas, also known as Smoke. The former Lin Kuei assassin was standing back, letting the others grieve. While he only knew Kenshi for about a week, he could understand the other's grief. When he lost Kuai Liang, it was the worst thing he could have possible went through. He went into a deep depression for several months. He still has not gotten over it, and with the Lin Kuei's tampering with the dead, he was all the more furious at them.

Alex Walker was comforting one of her friends. Rubbing his back, she had shed a single tear. She had only conversed with Kenshi when he came in for duty, but she had gotten to know him fairly well during the past few years. He was friendly towards her, always exchanging in moderate banter. For the first year of knowing Kenshi, she had a bit of a crush on him. That soon ended when she realized it would go nowhere, that he wasn't interested in a relationship. That was all she knew of him. She never knew about his vendetta against Shang Tsung, and how it would be unfulfilled.

The one who was taking it the worst was Kenshi's roommate, partner, and best friend, Kurtis Stryker. Tears were rolling down his face as he clutched Kenshi's corpse, the Sword of Sento still lodged inside his chest. His arms, chest, and legs were covered in blood, his tears staining Kenshi's shoulder. He had stopped sobbing, but he could force the water from flowing. All he could do was mourn the loss. And he could do nothing about it. He felt the comforting feel of Alex's hand on his shoulder, but it did nothing to ease the pain.

After a few minutes, Smoke looked around the room, noticing small squares with blinking lights. He focused his vision closer, and noticed it. Plastic explosives. C4, to be more exact. He also noticed a countdown timer. It was at four minutes, and counting down. Just as Johnny past him again, he slapped Johnny lightly, but still enough to get his attention.

"What?" asked the actor.

Smoke pointed at the squares, and then the timer. "C4. It's all around the room. It'll blow this entire building."

Alex overheard them, and said, "We should probably get out of here then, huh?" Her voice was quitter, almost unheard.

Nodding, Smoke said, "We have three and a half minutes. That should be enough time to clear the building." He looked over to Stryker still holding his friend. "Officer Stryker." Stryker looked towards Smoke, who had drawn his attention. "You'll have time to mourn, but not now. We need to leave."

Stryker nodded. He gently set Kenshi on the ground, and pulled the Sento out of his chest. After closing Kenshi's eyes, Stryker wiped his nose, and agreed. "He wouldn't have wanted me to cry over him anyway."

Johnny was the first to exit, followed by Smoke. Alex started for the door, but stopped. She looked back at Stryker. She gave him a quick hug of comfort, and bolted. Stryker followed, but he too stopped at the doorway. He took one last look at Kenshi, one final tear falling. He then exited the room, leaving the body of his friend behind.

After three minutes. The four men and woman exited, just as the upper levels exploded. Debris began falling, capturing the attention of Kano and Baraka, the both of whom were still firing on the civilians. Liu Kang was nowhere to be seen. The other team of officers caught the explosion, each worried about the safety of each person in the building.

A large chunk of debris started to fall on the group, Stryker being the first to notice. He called out to the others to move, which they all did, narrowly avoiding the rubble. All four of them made a run towards where the others would be. Above the rooftops, a yellow ninja narrowed his eyes.

Sonya was the first to greet them. She said, "You guys made it." She then noticed a missing member. "Where's Kenshi?"

None of them spoke, only a look of sorrow being the answer to her question. She understood immediately, but before she could apologize, Jax said, "We'll grief later. We need to stop those two maniacs."

Smoke said, "Easier said than done. While dealing with people with guns is never easy, based on my past experiences with Kano and Baraka, that will make it all the more difficult."

Sonya added, "You have no idea."

"That doesn't matter. We haven't been able to get up there with the claymores they planted. I won't lose anymore men," stated Jax, matter of factly.

"Then allow me," volunteered Smoke. "I'm not one of your men to begin with."

"Be that as it may," replied Jax, "you're just a civilian to us. I can't risk your safety."

Smoke pulled up his mask, and said, "I wasn't asking." He jumped to a window, grabbing the ledge before he could fall. Climbing a little, he jumped to the next one, almost loosing his footing. He regained it, however, and moved one.

He could now hear Kano's laughter, making him sick to his stomach. He jumped over the side, landing on his two feet eloquently. He tiptoed over to Kano, ready to grab him. But the criminal must've heard him, as he spun around, kicking Smoke away.

It seemed, however, that the kick hurt Kano's foot more than Smoke. The Lin Kuei kipped up, noticing Kano clutching his foot. Baraka spun around, firing at Smoke. The Lin Kuei jumped out of the way, sending a smoke bomb towards the two. A puff of smoke clouded their vision, as they each began coughing. Baraka snarled, and jumped out of the cloud.

He let loose his blades, scanning the surrounded area. Appearing form out of the smoke, the man, Smoke, kicked Baraka's foot out form under him. Just as Baraka was about to fall, Smoke put the crazed doctor in a chokehold, and hissed, "Where is Shang Tsung?"

"Why are you asking me?" replied Baraka through gritted teeth. "I know nothing of Shang Tsung's plans or his location. You'll just have to kill me."

Smoke thought it over. "Okay."

"Wait!" Baraka was wide eyed. "I can't tell you where he is, but I can tell you who does!"

Smoke applied slightly more pressure. Baraka began squealing. "His name is Revolver! From what we know, he goes to a certain bar everyday. We don't know why, but he does! Just please don't kill me!"

"What bar?"

"Uh, I don't know. Wait, I think it's Kojima's, down the road a little bit. Yeah, it's definitely Kojima's. Everyday at 4:00 AM. In about an hour."

Instead of killing him, Smoke smashed his fist against Baraka's skull, knocking him out. He looked over towards Kano, but saw that he was gone. Smoke snapped his fingers in frustration. He walked over to the two claymore mines, deactivating them. He motioned the others up to the roof.

After everyone had made it, Smoke said, "Kano escaped."

Sonya hissed, "Damn."

"But," continued Smoke, "we do have some information. There's a man, named Revolver, who might know where Shang Tsung is."

Johnny spoke up. "How can we trust this guy?"

"Well, I did have him in a choke hold. Anyway, I think we should go there to check it out," said Smoke. "Just it case it's legit."

Jax asked, "What about him?" He was talking about Baraka.

"We'll need to put him somewhere," replied Sonya.

"Perhaps the station?" suggested Alex.

"But it's destroyed," threw back Johnny.

"So? We'll just have a few of us stand guard over him. Should work, right?" asked Alex.

Jax put his chin in his hand, thinking it over. He nodded, and said, "Yeah. Me and Sonya will watch him. You three find this Revolver character. We'll meet up back at the station at 5:00. Sound good?" Everyone nodded. "Excellent. Let's split up."

* * *

Elsewhere,

Shang Tsung appeared before Quan Chi. "So," started Quan Chi, "I assume everything was a success."

Shang Tsung chuckled. "Of course it was. We might have lost a few Tarkatans, but those come a dime a dozen. Now, about the others, what do you propose we do with them?"

"Well, with the Grandmaster dead, and the 'mythical' Dragon Medallion in our hands, the Lin Kuei are ours to command." Quan Chi looked around the barren temple they were currently in, Unit LK-520 in the corner. "I've already gotten news that Blaze has survived, Baraka has been captured, and Liu Kang has disappeared."

"How have you already gotten this information that quickly?"

"Shang Tsung, this isn't nineteenth century Japan, we're in 2014 America. They have everything."

Shang Tsung nodded in agreement. He walked over to LK-520, tapping the chest lightly. He inserted a memory chip inside, and closed it again. "There. That should get this bad boy started."

"I must say," said Quan Chi, "I'm quite surprised our plan has worked this well. I expected the swordsman to survive Scorpion's assualt."

"You doubt his power?"

"Of course not, I just figured Kenshi would be a far more powerful opponent."

"I saw half of his face burned off. Either Scorpion got an early hit in, or Blaze did more damage than we thought," mused Shang Tsung.

Quan Chi shrugged. He looked back at LK-520, and said, "I say we sent that one away. To kill one of the survivors."

"I saw the traitor there."

"Which one?"

"The Lin Kuei called Smoke."

"You mean-?"

"Yes, it is him. I thought we'd never find him," Shang Tsung confirmed.

Quan Chi smiled. "Then, I guess we have LK-520's first target then, hmm?"

* * *

In an abandoned warehouse,

The Thunder God Raiden was recover from his exhaustion. He would have to limit his teleportation from now on. He focused is abilities onto his heroes. He could feel the precense of Smoke, Stryker, and another human he didn't recognize, but he could not feel Kenshi or Kung Lao. He focused his powers deeper, but could feel nothing. He widened his range.

His eyes jerked open, sensing what he feared most. They were sending out Kuai Liang.

He also found out where Kung Lao was. The Shaolin was chasing another. He couldn't quite pinpoint who, but he could feel someone. Whatever it was, he had to deal with Kuai Liang first.

He tightened his eyes, realizing he would have to teleport again. He held his hand up, and disappeared.

* * *

Eariler,

Liu Kang observed Kano and Baraka firing on the civilians.

In the six months since the tournament, Liu Kang had lost his fondness of killing. He had unloaded a magazine into the building above, and now he was sitting out. Kano shrugged it off, figuring there would be more killing for him. Baraka didn't even notice.

Liu Kang was currently looking around, gazing past the dying innocents. He noticed someone quite a ways away from the carnage. Someone who he knew almost like a brother.

Kung Lao.

Liu Kang looked over to the other two, and jumped off the building. He grabbed onto a railing before he fell to far, but he was close enough to the ground to land without an injuries by now. So, he simply let himself fall, and he landed on his two feet. He saw Kung Lao staring back at him. The Shaolin monk quietly walked over, his face morphed into a mixture of anger and regret. Anger for Kung Lao betraying him, and regret for losing an irreplaceable friend.

A least two hundred yards away from the slaughter that was going on, Liu Kang and Kung Lao met face to face for the first time in six months.

After several moments of silence, Liu Kang asked, "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to put an end to this." He motioned towards the carnage behind them. "This has to stop!"

Liu Kang slowly shook his head. "You don't understand. There is no stopping us. We've come too far for us to fail."

Kung Lao had a look of shock and disgust. "So, killing innocent bystanders, who have no qualms against you, is a part of your plan?"

"It is not my plan, Kung Lao!" shouted Liu Kang. "It is Shang Tsung's."

"Why are you following him?"

"Because, unlike you, I am loyal to the end, not matter what," replied Liu Kang.

Kung Lao and Liu Kang stared each other in the face. Kung Lao made for his hat, the blade rim gleaming in what little light there was. "Then I will do what has to be done."

Liu Kang scowled, and ran at Kung Lao. The former Shaolin dodged his former friend, tossing his hat towards him. Liu Kang flipped forward, narrowly avoiding the bladed hat. Liu Kang spun around, tackling Kung Lao. The former Shaolin blocked the two punches that came to his head, sending his fist into Liu Kang's face. Liu Kang was thrown off of Kung Lao, landing on his back.

Kung Lao jumped into the air, attempting to stomp Liu Kang's chest. However, the current Shaolin moved out of the way just in time to avoid his chest getting crushed. Kung Lao saw his hat returning to him. He held out his hand, and caught the bladed hat perfectly. He placed it on his head gently. He let out a deep exhale. There was no longer an shock or disgust in his eyes. There was an eerie sense of calm.

Liu Kang got into his fighting stance, Kung Lao following suite. A piece of loose paper flew in between them, a light breeze hitting their faces. There was no longer any hatred between them. Only a sense of survival. An unspoken agreement was stated. Only one would leave here alive. The other, would die.

They charged each other.

* * *

Elsewhere,

Smoke, Stryker, Johnny, and Alex moved through the shadows, the Lin Kuei taking the lead. Smoke saw a fire escape, and jumped up to it. He let the ladder down, allowing his companions to climb.

Alex asked, "How the hell is he able to jump that high?"

Stryker shrugged. "Ninja skills, probably."

"I am not a ninja," spoke Smoke. "I am an assassin. There is a difference."

Johnny chanted, "Go ninja, go ninja, go!"

Smoke glared back at Johnny who simply shrugged with indifference.

Alex rolled her eyes. Smoke jumped form the top escape to the roof without having to grab the ledge. He turned back towards his companions, holding his hand out. Stryker let Alex go first, whom he had to help in order to reach Smoke. After some pulling and financing, Smoke was able to get Alex up with no problems. Smoke then turned back to Stryker, who had to jump fairly high to catch Smoke's hand.

Johnny was up next. He was the one who had some troubles. He couldn't quite make the jump to Smoke's hand, who said, "Come one, we don't have time for this!"

"It's not like I can jump as high as you!" He looked back down. "You know what, you guys go on ahead, I'll find another way up."

Smoke nodded, and turned back. The three remaining people stood watch over the bar. Twenty minutes had passed since everyone had split up. Now, it was time to play the waiting game.

* * *

Meanwhile,

Shang Tsung was sitting in his chair, outfit covered in blood. It was not his blood. It was the blood of the blind swordsman, Kenshi. Shang Tsung reflected on the irony of the fact Kenshi was killed by the sword that had guided him for ten years. Possible more. The sorcerer couldn't remember what year he blinded Kenshi, but he knew it was in the new millenium.

Shang Tsung wiped a finger against some of the still wet blood. He sniffed it. He wasn't really fond of doing the dirty work himself, but he had to admit that this was one of the few exceptions. He loved the smell of blood, but his suit were getting more expensive by the moment.

He looked back towards Quan Chi, who was observing his nails. He asked, "Where did you send Scorpion?"

Quan Chi looked up. He replied, "He's patrolling the streets, looking for our 'friends.'"

Shang Tsung nodded. "Any news from Revolver?"

Quan Chi shook his head. "Not since the update ten minutes ago. Although, it is nearly four o'clock. He should be at Kojima's any minute now."

Shang Tsung nodded once again. He said, "LK-520 still has found nothing."

"Don't worry," replied Quan Chi. "I'm quite confident that he will not only find them, he'll also find LK-7T2."

"That unit's been missing for damn near four years now." Shang Tsung leaned back in his chair. "I doubt he'll be discovered any time soon."

"Only time will tell, my friend."

"Of course." Shang Tsung took out a cigar and a zippo lighter. He offered one to Quan Chi, who respectfully declined.

"No, thanks. I don't smoke."

"But you live in Hell."

"I'm not a fan of nicotine."

Shang Tsung shrugged, and lit the cigar.

* * *

A/N: Who in the hell is LK-7T2?

Well, if you know your Mortal Kombat lore, you should know. If not, I'm not spoiling it here. And I hope those who do know don't spoil it for anyone else. And don't look it up! That's cheating.

And yes, my semi-OC, Revolver, will be a recurring character. I say semi because, again, he's heavily based off of Revolver Ocelot from MGS. I can't stress that enough.

If you get the Kojima-bar-thing, kudos.

Like I said, please drop a review, leave a favorite, and please spread the word. If you like it, thank you. If not, tell me why. Go over every point of why the hell not. Don't just say, "UGH! Worst story ever!"

That is so not true. Have you seen some of the crap on this section? That's what I thought.

Again, read the story, review the story, and eat a sandwich. Because sandwich.

Spino, out.


	9. Chapter 8

Whistling.

That was the sound that filled the air. Smoke was the first to notice, looking down. He saw a man dressed like a stereotypical cowboy, the only exception being a missing hat. His short, white hair was cropped back, and his chiseled features were staring forward.

A slight smirk was on his face, not the joyful kind Johnny always had. This was more cocky. His hands were stuff in his duster, the flaps flowing in the slight wind. The sounds of spurs on the sidewalk filling the air.

Stryker looked down as well, noticing the man near the bar. Just as he walked in, a silent bolt of lightning hit the roof behind the three people. Alex jumped, Stryker pulled out his gun, but Smoke didn't act surprised.

He slowly turned to see Raiden standing there with his arm outstretched. Stryker lowered his gun, and tilted his head in a puzzled manner. This man in front of him looked familiar for some reason.

Raiden walked over to Smoke, and said, "I need you to come with me."

Smoke raised an eyebrow. "But I'm in the middle of something important."

Raiden motioned towards the others. "These two can handle this situation at the moment. What I need you for is far more important."

"But-"

"It involves Kuai."

Smoke became silent.

Alex looked at the two, asking, "Who's Kuai?"

"My friend."

Stryker had holstered his gun. "Didn't you mention something about that a while ago?"

Smoke nodded. "He died five years ago. A day or two ago I found out that he might still be alive. Turns out he was transformed into a monstrosity." He looked back towards Raiden. "What happened?"

"He is looking for all of you." He then stopped. "Where is Johnny Cage?"

Stryker and Alex looked around. Alex said, "He told us he would find another way up."

"How long ago was that?"

She shrugged. "About ten minutes ago. Give or take."

Raiden put his chin in his fist. He looked down to the alleyway. His eyes then bugged out. He turned back to Smoke, and said, "We have to leave. Johnny Cage is in trouble."

Stryker asked, "What happening?"

"You cannot help in this situation, Kurtis Stryker," replied Raiden. "This enemy is far too powerful for you. Now, we must go Tomas." He grabbed onto Smoke's arm, and teleported out of there.

Stryker and Alex shielded their eyes. The male cop looked down at the bar, and saw Revolver walk into the bar. Revolver stopped, and turned to look back up at the rooftops.

Stryker and Alex quickly hid themselves from his sight. The two were closer than comfortable, but they were more concerned about being discovered than personal space. They slowly looked back down, but Revolver was gone.

"Let's go."

* * *

Meanwhile,

Johnny Cage was walking through the alley's, completely lost. Johnny stepped over a cardboard box, mumbling to himself.

"I'm getting really tired of this bullshit. All the fucking ninjas six months ago, now the fucking apocalypse."

A homeless person was sleeping when Johnny walked by. "How the hell can he be sleeping. Where is everyone anyway?"

He didn't notice the blue flash behind him. The homeless man did, however.

He murmured, "Turn the light off."

Johnny looked back, wondering what the man was talking about. Instead, he saw a man in a blue suit of armor. The armored man walked over to Johnny, who was standing there. He shook his head. Johnny said, "You know, I'm getting really tired of this shit. All I want is to join my friends, and not get the shit beaten out of me for once. Is that too much to ask?!"

The armored man simply looked at Johnny. Then, after several seconds, the man said, "Subject: Johnny Cage. Gender: Male. Target: Confirmed."

Johnny tilted his head, and said, "Wait, wha-?"

The armored man was in Johnny's face in a blink of an eye. The armored man swung a fist, but Johnny was able to avoid it. Johnny then sent a fist into the man's ribs...

Which broke Johnny's hand. The actor grabbed his hand, screaming in agony. The man in armor then hoisted Johnny up by his neck, applying pressure slowly.

"You will die," said the man in armor. "But I can make it less painful if you tell me where the other humans are."

Johnny, as defiant as ever, hissed, "Go fuck yourself."

"So be it." The man in armor reered back his fist, ready to punch a hole trough Johnny's stomach.

But a kick to the face sent him flying into a wall. Johnny looked up to his saviour, and said, "What took you so long?"

Smoke looked down at Johnny, and said, "Shut up, Cage." Smoke then turned back, and said, "Get out of here. I'll handle this."

Johnny nodded. "Yeah, okay." He got up, still holding his hand, and made his way towards the end of the alley. But he was stopped by a wall of ice quickly forming. Johnny turned back too Smoke, who was staring at the man in armor.

Smoke walked up to the man, and said, "Don't do this, Kuai. You're better than this."

"My designation is LK-520," replied the man, or cyborg to be more correct.

Shaking his head, Smoke shot back, "You are Kuai Liang. Not some machine."

LK-520 charged Smoke, and punched him across the face. The cyborg then sent two fist into Smoke's ribs, and then grabbing his head, and slamming his head against his. Smoke was slammed against a wall from the force of the blow.

LK-520 turned towards Johnny, who was looking at Smoke. LK-520 grabbed Johnny by the hair, who was shouting, "Let go of me, you blue motherfucker!"

"Hey!"

LK-520 looked towards the voice. Smoke was pushing himself out of the rubble, throwing pieces off of him. He looked at LK-520, and said, "Don't make me hurt you, Kuai."

LK-520 opened his chest compartment, forming a ball of ice. Smoke was ready. LK-520 sent the ice ball, which Smoke was able to avoid. While flipping, Smoke sent one of his smoke bombs at LK-520. They were both clouded in a thick fog of smoke, LK-520's sensors being disrupted.

Smoke's voice came from seemingly everywhere. "Red Phosphorous. Whatever infrared you have is useless now."

Smoke elbowed LK-520 in the back, cracking some of the armor. The phosphorous dissipated, Johnny having disappeared and the two Lin Kuei facing off. Smoke and LK-520, formerly known as Kuai Liang, faced each other. They then attacked.

Meanwhile, high above them, a figure was patrolling. Scorpion. He had heard shouting, so he decided to investigate it. He peered down form the rooftop, seeing two men fight. One was dressed in Lin Kuei clothing, grey in color, and had long, white hair. He wasn't the one who caught the demon's attention. It was the one next to him.

One of the cyborgs from the Cyber Initiative. Had it possibly gone rouge? Unlikely. The chip that depressed their emotions were strong, stronger than even Quan Chi's rule over Scorpion. He quickly became interested in this fight. Now, it was time to prove which was better. Human instinct or robotics.

LK-520 grabbed an incoming kick from Smoke, spinning him around. He sent the former Lin Kuei into a brick wall, the wall falling on top of him. The man burst out of the rubble, bruises covering his body. LK-520 sent a fist into Smoke skull. The blow sent him back.

The cyborg's chest opened, and another ball of ice was formed.

Scorpion's eyes went wide. Sub-Zero? But, he killed him. His soul was currently residing in Hell, where he should belong.

The cyborg sent the ice ball towards Smoke, who quickly rolled out of the way. The ball froze the ground Smoke was one, the former Lin Kuei thankful he didn't turn into a Popsicle. Smoke kipped up, charging the cyborg once again. LK-520 ran at Smoke as well, the two entering a power struggle.

Up above, Scorpion's mind was racing. Or going into a blood red rage, whichever you prefer. Scorpion was clutching his head, the pain becoming unbearable. Everything he thought he knew was coming into question. Quan Chi said that Bi-Han was... They brought him back. Quan Chi lied to him. He said that Bi-Han would die. Scorpion punched the ground, still clutching his head.

Smoke broke the struggle, sending a fist straight into LK-520's head. A dent appeared, and LK-520 staggered back. Smoke dropped another phosphorous bomb. LK-520's sensor's were disrupted again, unable to pick out any one object.

The cyborg was looking around, missing Smoke grabbing Johnny Cage, and leaving. After the smoke disappeared, LK-520 was alone. He saw this, and he teleported away.

* * *

Scorpion was still above the rooftops. He had calmed down slightly, but he still felt betrayed. He looked up at the sky, noticing a dark cloud roll in. A flash of lightning hit the ground behind him, a man appearing shortly after. Scorpion didn't know why, but he seemed familiar. The man walked over to Scorpion, and said, "It's been a while, hasn't it."

Scorpion prepared to the attack to come, but it never did. "Don't worry, Hanzo, I'm not here to fight you." He stepped closer to Scorpion, who stepped back. "At least you are cautious. That is good. You will not be able to be attacked from behind." He walked around, looking down at the alleyway. "You're probably wondering what just happened down there, aren't you?"

Scorpion did not answer.

"That was Sub-Zero. The one you killed." He crouched down, still looking at the alley. "In essence, Quan Chi has lied to you. That is not the only thing he has lied to you about, however."

Scorpion tilted his head in question.

"I cannot tell you now. I'm already breaking a lot of rules by speaking with you. And I'm going to break a few more." In a flash, Raiden had two fingers planted on Scorpion's forehead, and ray of light coming out of his eye sockets. After several seconds, the light dissipated, and Raiden removed his hands. Scorpion fell to his hands and knees. "Now, I must go now."

Scorpion clambered to his feet, and asked, "What-?" He stopped immediately. He reached for his throat. He spoke? He didn't have the ability to. He shouldn't!

The Shirai Ryu looked up at Raiden, who nodded, and disappeared. Scorpion remained where he was in a state of shock. Had this man who controlled lightning, who appeared out of nowhere, helped him? Scorpion looked around. He then vanished to his master's lair.

* * *

Kojima's, five minutes ago,

Revolver strode into the bar, hand twirling his signature revolver, and walked up to the counter.

He was a Japanese man, mid-twenties, who was wearing a pair of black glasses. His hair was short and black, and he was wearing a shirt that had a fox on it. The man nodded towards Revolver, who took a bottle from behind the counter, popped off the top, and took a long chug. He gave the owner some money, and sat down in one of the booths.

The bar was a modest one, only a few table in between the door and the counter. Several booths were near the windows, the one most concealed in darkness was where Revolver was sitting. He was doing some gun tricks to keep his hands occupied, counting down from 5.

Five seconds later, two people walked in. One was a blonde-haired man dressed in a blue shirt, jeans, and a gun strapped to his hip. Strangely, he also had a sword in a sheath on his back. The other was a woman with dark brown hair, blue eyes, khakis, and a black shirt. The scanned the bar, which was deserted save for the owner and Revolver, and spotted him immediately. Revolver holstered his gun, taking another sip from the bottle.

Just as the man reached him, Revolver announced, "Kurtis Stryker, I presume?"

They both stopped, surprised that he knew they were there. However, Stryker only missed a beat. "And I'm guessing you're the one called Revolver."

Revolver presented himself, and confirmed. "The one and only. Hideo!"

The owner stepped out of the back room.

"Get these two a drink! On me."

Hideo nodded, going back into the room.

Revolver turned his attention back to Stryker and Alex, and asked, "Now, why won't you sit? I imagine we'll be here for a while."

Stryker looked back at Alex, who nodded lightly. They sat opposite of Revolver who was drinking again. Stryker asked, "Where's Shang Tsung?"

Revolver chuckled. "Straight to the point, I see." He took another gulp. "You know what I find amazing? I've had half this damn bottle, and I feel perfectly sober. Isn't that strange?"

Hideo walked back out of the back room, two glasses of beer in his hands. He set one in front of Stryker, another in front of Alex. He then retreated back into the back.

Revolver drank the last of the bottle, and said, "Please, drink. I am paying for it."

The eyes of Stryker didn't waver, still fixed on the gunslinger. He stated again, "Where is Shang Tsung?"

"Why? Why do you want to know where he is?" Revolver leaned back.

Stryker started, "He-"

"Killed your friend, and now you want revenge," interrupted Revolver. He raised a cocky eyebrow. "Am I correct?"

Stryker looked back in confusion. How could he possibly know that?

Revolver propped himself off of the back of the booth, and said, "Do you honestly think you are meant the beat Shang Tsung?"

Alex asked, "What does that mean?"

"It means that six months ago, Officer Stryker here and his pal, Kenshi, weren't suppose to win that tournament," replied Revolver.

"Well, that's probably what Shang Tsung was hoping for," Stryker shot back.

Revolver shook his head. "That's not what I meant. You two winning goes against everything. It goes against our plans." He shrugged. "Although Shang Tsung holding that tournament went against our plan as well. Whatca going to do?" He sat his head back farther. "We just went along hoping that he would get rid of some of the only few people who could possibly be a problem.

"But when that plan failed, we realized we needed to do something about you two. Fortunately, Shang Tsung took out Kenshi. Now, there's only you and, of course, Quan Chi." Revolver finished, letting the information he just gave the two to sink in.

Stryker asked, "Who the hell is Quan Chi?"

"He is the only man we cannot control whatsoever. From what we can gather, he is from another world."

"An alien?"

"No, not quite. He's what I would call a demon." Rubbing his temple, Revolver said, "It's complicated. Let's just leave it at that."

"Just tell us where Shang Tsung is."

"I can't do that," replied Revolver. "Like I said, if you won, it would go against everything we have planned for."

Alex asked, "Who is 'we?'"

Revolver looked at Alex, eyeing her up and down. He nodded. "Very nice. I see you've found yourself a winner, Stryker."

Stryker's face shifted in pure rage. Revolver chuckled. "I'm only kidding. Now, I want you to show you something."

He whipped out his trademark revolver, the two cops across from him moving for their guns.

He looked to at the both of them in amusement. "This is the greatest handgun ever made. The Colt Single Action Army. It carries six shots." He plucked out the one spent shot from earlier. He then replaced it with all new bullets. "More than enough to kill anything that moves."

He spun the spinner, and said, "I'll tell you where Shang Tsung is."

He fired a bullet past Stryker and Alex's head, causing them to jump back. Revolver back flipped over to the booth behind him, firing two more shot at them. Both bullets missed Stryker and Alex, but the bullets ricocheted off the wall, getting in a glancing blow to Stryker shoulder. Stryker pushed some table over, the wood hopefully shielding them from the bullets.

Chuckling, Revolver took out the other SAA, and said, "All you have to do is survive twelve bullets." He holstered his revovler he fired three shots in, and loaded up the SAA he took out. "You've already survived three of them. Think you can go for the other nine?" He then took out the first SAA with his right hand, and fired another shot at the wall behind the two cops.

The bullet once again ricocheted off the wall, and speed towards Stryker's head. He jumped out of the way, the bullet penatrating the table. Revolver had to jump out of the way. He scowled, and looked back. "Probably should watch that."

Stryker fired two shots from his pistol, the bullets narrowly missing Revolver's skull. The gunslinger fired a shot from the left SAA into the ceiling, the bullet flying towards Alex. She jumped out of the way, but the bullet lodged itself inside her left foot. She let out a shout, and fell to the ground. Revolver chuckled, and fired a shot from the right hand gun at her. Stryker moved her out of the way, putting her off to the side.

Revolver checked his right hand revolver. Only one bullet left. Revolver then checked the other revolver. Five. Six bullets. Enough to kill anything that moves. He aimed carefully, and fired at the wall.

After a few bounces, it was fired into Alex's left leg. She screamed, Stryker trying to cover the wound on her foot. He look up at the bullet in her leg, a wide eyed expression on his face. It wasn't bleeding heavily, thank God, but it would if it was taken out. He looked at Alex, and said, "I have to leave that bullet in there, okay?"

Alex nodded, biting her bottom lip. She was in a large amount of pain. Since she was mainly behind a desk, she never learned how to handle this amount of pain. Her vision was blurry, and she was certain she was going to black out soon. Stryker laid her down on her back, and peeked over the table, seeing Revolver twirling the right hand revolver.

He quickly holstered it, and said, "Congratulations, you've managed to survive an entire round from a revolver. Only five more bullets left. Try to survive it." He fired another shot at Stryker, who dodged out of the way. The bullet bounced back at him. He thought quickly, and picked up a steel plate. The bullet made a dent in the plate, but it did not break it. The bullet was stopped, a thankful Stryker letting out a sigh of relief. He looked up, and fired five shots, all missing Revolver.

Revolver said, with a hint of disgust in his voice, "Pistols." He fired off a shot at Stryker, who fired another shot. Both missed. Revolver shot a few bullets, and Stryker fired as well.

They both stood from their cover, the guns trained on each others head. Revolver smiled, and said, "Sorry. You almost made it." He pulled the trigger.

_Click._

Both men looked at the revolver in surprise. Revolver miscounted. He then laughed. "Well, guess you win after all." He put the revolver back, and walked up to Stryker, who stepped. Don't bother. You're empty too."

Stryker ejected the clip, and saw there weren't any. He cocked the gun a spent bullet was all that came out. He caught the bullet, and looked at it. He was empty after all. He looked back up at Revolver, and asked, "How did you know my clip didn't carry fifteen?"

Revolver replied, "I'm good with guns, even the one's I don't like." He then chuckled again, and said, "Well, since I'm a man of my word, I'll tell you where he is." He took out a piece of paper, wrote down the address, and handed it to Stryker.

The gunslinger walked up to the counter put some money one the counter, and walked out the door. But before he did, he turned back to Stryker. He made his hand into a gun, with his index and middle finger pointed and slightly apart, and pointed at him. Stryker grinned, and nodded. Without another word, Revolver walked out of the bar.

Stryker looked down on the piece of paper, the ink showing brightly. He looked back at Alex, who was still apply as much pressure on the wound as she could. Stryker asked, "You okay?"

Alex nodded. "I'll be fine. Where'd he go?"

"Gone."

"You let him go?"

"I have a feeling even if I did arrest him, I wouldn't have been able to keep him detained. Just more paper work to fill out." He knelt down. "Can you walk?"

Alex shrugged. "Don't know."

"Let's not chance it." He pulled out his radio. "Jax, you there?"

After a few moments of silence, Jax's voice came through the radio. "That's not correct radio protocol."

"Didn't proper protocol get thrown out the window when the entire station was slaughtered?"

"True. What do you need?"

"I need a car."

"Didn't you drive?"

"No."

"Oh, yeah. So, where are you?"

"That bar called 'Kojima's.'" He looked back, saw Hideo walk out from the door, take the money, and disappeared again. "Owner's a bit weird, but it seemed like a nice place."

"'Seemed?'"

"We kind of... got into a gun fight."

"Revolver?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, I'll drive over there. Get ready."

"Alex will be here to be picked up."

"What about you?"

Stryker looked back at Alex. "I have some things to take care of."

* * *

Elsewhere,

Smoke and Johnny stopped running. They looked back, and Johnny said in between breaths, "I think he's gone."

Smoke looked back, searching for any sign they might still are being pursued. Thankfully, he couldn't find any. "I don't see anything."

Johnny nodded, too tired to talk. Instead, he slumped down the the ground. He then hissed when the pain of his broken hand started to sink in. He look up at Smoke, who was just standing there. "I have a question for you."

"Shoot." Smoke was peeking out from the alley.

"Why isn't your hand broken?"

Smoke slowly looked back at Johnny. "What?"

He repeated, "Why isn't your hand broken? I only punch that... whatever it was once. You punched it multiple times, hell, you even kicked it, but you're fine. How?"

Smoke looked down at his hands. "I..." However, he couldn't answer. He didn't understand why his hands were fine. The bones in his hands should all be powder. But they weren't. He couldn't find the answer in his head.

Then, a bolt of lightning landed in between them. Once the bolt was gone, Raiden stood in it's place. He looked at the two men. "Where is Kuai?"

Johnny shrugged, holding his hand tightly. "We lost him a lot of blocks back. Don't know where he is now."

Raiden shook his head. He knelt next to Johnny, and held his broken hand. A bright glow blinded Johnny's vision for a moment, but when he looked back, his hand was healed. Johnny was wide-eyed. "How'd you do that?"

But now, Raiden was sitting down, exhausted. "Smoke, there is something we need to discuss."

Johnny once again asked, "How'd you do that?"

When man and god ignored him, Smoke asked, "What is it, Lord Raiden?"

"I have something I... need to tell you."

"What?"

Raiden motioned for Smoke to come closer to him, while Johnny was rubbing his hand. Raiden grabbed his hand, and began peeling Smoke's skin. Almost immediately, Smoke jerked his hand back, but even exhausted, his grip was too strong. After a minute of struggling, Raiden finally let go. Throughout this time, Smoke realized he didn't feel pain.

He looked down at his hand, and looked on his horror.

Raiden nodded, and said, "You... are a cyborg."

Where bone and meat should be, a mechanical hand was in their place.

* * *

Elsewhere,

Stryker ran up to his apartment, building, fumbling his key out of his pocket. He walked into the mess that was his home, trudging through to his closet. He opened it up, and saw his weapon case. He pulled out two MK.23 pistols and a M4 assault rifle. He slid out the magazine, and found it was full. He slid the three guns onto his person, placing his standard issue police gun in their place.

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed something lodged in the cushions of the couch. He walked closer, hoping to get a better, look, and saw it was Kenshi's blindfold.

He chuckled slightly, figuring it would be right in front of their noses. He grabbed the cloth, and slowly took it out. He held it in his hands, more tears threatening to flow. He was able to hold them back, but a pang of sadness still washed over him.

He slid off his hat, and tied the blindfold around his forehead. He placed his hat back on, the blindfold-turned-headband showing. He then walked out of the apartment, not looking back.

* * *

A/N: Well, that cat's out of the bag.

If you were there for the day it was out, there was a (admittedly stupid) prequel, explaining a bit on Smoke. I took it down the day after, but I still liked the idea.

So, that's another chapter down. Nothing much to say.

Spino, out.


End file.
